Marines’ Physical Training Halted by Outbreak

Marine officials on Monday announced a three-day halt to strenuous physical training at a base here, following the death of a recruit less than a week after the outbreak of a potentially fatal bacterium. As many as 100 recruits have been hospitalized -- although it’s unclear how many have contracted Group A streptococcus -- and three were sent to intensive care.

Navy Capt. John Malone confirmed Monday that the death of 18-year-old Pvt. Miguel Zavala on Sunday was due to a bacterial infection that was consistent with the bacterium, which has spread quickly through the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in the past week. Zavala’s final autopsy results are pending.

One recruit remained in critical condition with an upper respiratory infection Monday, and about 50 others, including a drill sergeant, remained hospitalized, doctors said. Most have pneumonia and are taking antibiotics, although it is not confirmed that they are infected with strep A, they added.

Two other Marine deaths in the last month appear unrelated to the outbreak -- one apparently tied to heart disease and the other to pulmonary edema, the lungs filling with liquid.

The roughly 4,600 recruits at the San Diego base, one of two recruit training centers for the U.S. Marine Corps, will continue taking classes but will not participate in martial arts, swim drills or obstacle courses.

Malone said doctors could not rule out the possibility that Zavala also may have been infected with meningococcal bacteria, which can lead to meningitis. Zavala died just hours after discovering a rash on his ankle, before his family could arrive from Northern California.

The findings, if confirmed, would reverse the earlier opinions of doctors, who had said they did not believe his death was linked to the outbreak of strep A.

Marine officials discovered the spread of strep A last week and gave injections to thousands of recruits Sunday. The bacterium is often found in the throat and on the skin, and can cause illnesses such as strep throat.

In severe cases, it can cause potentially fatal necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease. It does not appear that the bacteria in Zavala’s system had progressed to that degree.

“We’re doing everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of not only the recruits, but the training population here as well,” said Maj. Gen. Jan Huly.

Recruits are being educated about the bacterium and will be screened on a weekly basis, Huly said.

He added that the three-day suspension of physical training should prevent any sick or recovering recruits from overexerting themselves. Huly said he would reevaluate the situation Wednesday to see if physical training should be resumed.

Medical officials continue to investigate the outbreak, but believe it is isolated to the recruits and the training staff.

“We just do not have indications that this infection is moving from our closely confined group of recruits to the population,” said Malone, director of medical services at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

All three recruit deaths are under investigation. Huly said he plans to step up medical screening when recruits arrive to ensure that there aren’t any preexisting conditions that could lead to health problems with heavy physical activity.

The first death occurred Nov. 23, when Pvt. Neal Edwards, 18, collapsed on an obstacle course and died from a heart abnormality known as cardiac arrhythmia.

Pvt. Samuel Bruss, 19, died Thursday after survival training in the swimming pool, where recruits swim while dressed in full combat gear. Doctors believe he died from pulmonary edema.