Death toll rises as more people affected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa eye drop recalls

Eye drop

More people succumb to illness caused by recalled eye drops as a promising treatment is discovered

The blog was last modified on March 22, 2023 at 2:44 PM according to CBS News.

Three individuals have passed away as a result of using eye drops that have been recalled.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed that the number of deaths in the widely drug-resistant bacteria outbreak related to eye drops that were recalled has increased to three, with two additional deaths reported from individuals who contracted the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

The recent update from the CDC reveals that there are 68 people from 16 states who have been infected with a certain type of bacteria. Sadly, eight of those individuals have experienced complete vision loss, while four have had to undergo the removal of their eyeballs. There was also a death previously reported concerning a man from Washington state.

Health authorities are currently investigating an outbreak suspected to be linked to opened eye drops. This has prompted the recall of three eye products from the brands EzriCare and Delsam Pharma. These products are all imported from the Indian firm Global Pharma Healthcare Private Limited. They may have been obtained either online or in retailers, as well as through ophthalmologist offices.

Lately, there have been two eye goods produced by different companies that have been withdrawn from the market due to unrelated issues of impurity.

The particular type of Pseudomonas aeruginosa causing the current outbreak is extremely uncommon and had not been previously identified in the United States. It poses a difficult problem for medical professionals as it has become immune to twelve different antibiotics.

According to an email from Martha Sharan, a representative of the CDC, one patient died as a result of Pseudomonas, but it is unclear whether the bacteria played a role in the deaths of two other patients.

Sharan did not give any specific information about the place and time of the two recent deaths. However, Sharan confirmed that these deaths happened within a month from when the bacterial samples were taken. Before this, various tests conducted on previously opened EzriCare's bottles found bacteria that were connected to the recent outbreak.

Sharan reported that two individuals had verified they had used EzriCare, while the usage of EzriCare by a third individual remains unknown. However, this individual is connected to those who had utilized EzriCare from an epidemiological standpoint.

The increasing number of casualties caused by the outbreak has been reported recently. At the same time, the CDC has disclosed that scholars at the University of California in San Diego have discovered a bacteriophage that appears to be effective in treating the drug-resistant bacteria.

The Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, located at the university, has promoted the use of "phage" therapies as a solution for patients suffering from infections caused by bacteria that do not respond to medication.

These treatments function by utilizing viruses to target bacteria and prevent infections that cannot be eliminated using conventional antibiotics.

Dr. Robert Schooley, who co-directs the center, explained in an email to CBS News that they respond to doctors' inquiries regarding patients who may gain advantages from phage therapy. If a particular patient is deemed suitable for phage therapy, they collaborate with the physician.

According to Schooley, there haven't been any patients treated with the chosen phage yet in this particular outbreak. It seems to be a good match for the CDC's samples. However, before administering the viruses to patients, the center needs to work with doctors to figure out the complexities of how to obtain and utilize them.

"We, along with other partners, are still searching for more phages that are effective," he stated.

A journalist from CBS News who is reporting on matters related to community health and the ongoing pandemic.

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