The number of infections with the intestinal bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae is increasing in Europe. This is a new variant that is very contagious and resistant to antibiotics. In 2021, this disease was diagnosed in four countries, now in ten countries, but not yet in Belgium. The European health service ECDC calls the version worrying.
The number of analyzed cases has increased from 12 to 143. In absolute terms, this is still a low number, but not entirely harmless because it can also make healthy people very ill, unlike ‘classic’ Klebsiella, which is harmless to most people.
The new variant has been given the name ‘ST23’. People who become infected can develop infections in their lungs, wounds or in the blood. They may also experience fever, swelling and chills.
Cases of bloodstream infections with Klebsiella pneumoniae that are resistant to standard treatment have increased by almost 50 percent between 2019 and 2022, according to the latest ECDC reports.
And if the bacteria are resistant, it becomes difficult to treat people. The number of deaths could then increase, especially if the bacteria circulate among people who are already in poorer health, the ECDC said.
In 2020, the number of deaths due to resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, which is not specifically related to the new ST23 variant, was estimated at 4,076 in the European Union, out of a total of 38,668 cases. This means that more than ten percent of patients with resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae die. And although there are still many more cases of ‘hospital bacteria’ MRSA, the relative mortality rate is significantly lower at 159,000, at 4 percent.
Also read:
Victim of Zaventem attack saved from dangerous intestinal bacteria thanks to experimental treatment with virus (+)
Wanted: vaccines against E. coli bacteria. “More and more strains are resistant to antibiotics” (+)
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2024-02-14 16:36:07
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