I'm lucky to be alive

[Dr Mordrid]

I had an appointment today at the wound clinic - the partial amputation wound on my foot is almost totally healed now after a long convalescence. What the title's about has to do with the 2 other doctors who were there in addition to the podiatrist & wound care speciaist.

Who were they?

They were epidemiologists from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in Atlanta, Ga. They were there to examine me, take cultures and conduct a nearly hour long interview.

It seems that infection that caused part of my foot to be amputated, and which re-infected me twice more resulting in as many additional hospitalizations & surgeries, was an extremely rare variant of resistant MRSA - one of the worst of the "flesh eaters." Vancomycin didn't even slow that infection down, it took an IV cocktail of several antibiotics, some still in trials, over a course of nearly 3 months.

This variant has only infected 12 people world-wide, and it has a ~60% mortality rate - hence the title of this post.

Needless to say the CDC will be hovering for quite some time - they're very interested in why I'm still around.

[degrub]

Nothing like good genes to help out.

[KRSESQ]

And an iron constitution. Yow.

[Dr Mordrid]

I'm sure genetics are a big part of it.

At 61, 62 in June; my total cholesterol is 117 with a great HDL/LDL ratio & low triglycerides; my bp averages 95/56 with a 58-68 resting pulse; my A1C is 5.1 (diabetes under total control); and the only thing the Dr. wants is for me to take a vitamin D supplement.

My numbers beat his by a mile, yet he's <40 and a vegetarian

Yow is right. It sent a chill.

[Tjalfe]

now where could you possibly have picked up such a rare infection?

[Dr Mordrid]

That is precisly what the CDC is trying to figure out.

It's probably (hopefully!) an environmental bug that would only aggressively infect a person prone to infection like a diabetic (me) or someone with a diminished immune system or is weakened by another illness, which can have numerous causes.

What makes this strain dangerous is the aggressive and wide spectrum antibiotic resistance. According to the team I talked to, of the 12 cases 8 are here in Detroit and the rest are in nothern Europe. A few of the Detroit cases were immune compromized or otherwise ill, so only a few of us were out & about.

If this thing ever became aggressive enough to infect healthy people....

[VJ]

Yikes..
Good it worked out...

[Umfriend]

Indeed.

[Elie]

I'm happy you are ok Doc. Hopefully the CDC will figure out the cause and prevent this from happening to anyone else.

[Dr Mordrid]

Update: things aren't looking good with this strain - it's up to 18 patients and up to an 80% mortality. The European cases were in Germany and the Netherlands, and a couple tracked back to northern Ontario. Its resistance profile now includes vancomycin, clindamycin, erythromycin, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole. Tough little bastard.

[UtwigMU]

You were very lucky.

[cjolley]

How did you go about picking up such an exotic bug?
How does anyone?

Anyway, congratulations on coming out on top of it.

[Dr Mordrid]

How did you go about picking up such an exotic bug?
How does anyone?

Bugs like this are in the environment just about everywhere, and the incorrect & over-use of antibiotics has caused the evolution of resistant strains.

I'm diabetic. That reduces the microcirculation in the extremities, and therefore ones ability to fight off infections there. Add a virulent bug and a small wound and the table is set. "Normal" people can also get infected, but not as easily. Either way it can cause tissue to go necrotic (rot) in hours to days, and once it gets into the bloodstream it's big trouble.