Two dogs treated in New Jersey last year with a strain of bacteria resistant to the drug are responsible for a deadly outbreak of eye drops used by humans, a CDC investigator reported Friday. The bacteria found — carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa — was “highly correlated” with germs linked to 81 human illnesses in 18 states last year. A total of 14 patients lost their vision and four died. CBS News Reports. “So now that this bacterium has entered the United States through artificial tears, this resistance can spread,” Emma Price said at the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service conference.
Health officials worry about carbapenemase-producing germs that can break down carbapenem antibiotics. That class of medicine is usually reserved for infections that are resistant to other treatments. Resistance genes can spread to other pathogens. Swabs from the dogs were sent to a laboratory in Pennsylvania, which observed unusual resistance signals in the germs and uploaded the genetic sequence of the breed to a national database. That prompted the CDC and state health officials to investigate. The FDA warned consumers about the contaminated eye drops last fall and called for a recall. (More great stories.)