One case of ‘superbug’ reported at USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital
Representatives from USC’s Keck School of Medicine confirmed Thursday that a single superbug case was identified in the intensive-care unit at USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital earlier this week.
While no specific details about the identity of the person who contracted the CRE superbug could be released, hospital officials report the patient has been isolated and is being treated with antibiotics.
CRE, which stands for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, is highly resistant to antibiotics.
In a letter written to hospital staff on Tuesday, Interim Chief Executive Paul Craig called the superbug a “treatable organism” and said, in this case, the infection was not spread by use of a medical device.
“No hospital is infection free. All superbugs live in health-care environments, and, in our case, this infection was not contracted through the use of a device, which has been the case at other facilities,” Craig wrote.
“At USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital, we are committed to high-quality standards of patient care and safety. We are vigilant in all of our procedures and practices, and we use the latest technologies to treat and prevent infection,” he added.
The local superbug discovery comes one month after 179 patients at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center were thought to have been exposed to the bacteria from contaminated medical scopes. There, the deaths of two patients were linked to the outbreak, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post described the superbug as a virus rather than bacteria.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, superbug infections typically occur in people being treated in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. Although it can be spread through direct human contact, it is most commonly contracted through exposure to contaminated surfaces, the CDC reports.
Those whose care requires the use of devices, such as ventilators, catheters, as well as patients who’ve been prescribed a long regimen of antibiotics, are especially at risk for infection.
As of February, the CDC had confirmed superbug cases in every state except Maine and Idaho, according to its website.