The Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Of The United States

of 2012, an outbreak of fungal meningitis was detected in Tennessee. This outbreak was linked to environmental contamination of three lots of methylprednisolone acetate injections (MPA) from one supplier, the New England Compounding Center (NECC). Most clinical cases were identified as Exserohilum rostratum. The index case was infected with Aspergillus fumigatus and twenty-two other fungal species were identified (CDC, 2015). There were 753 total cases and 64 deaths across 20 states. Patients developed

people who get meningitis (Statistics). However, after surviving from meningococcal disease, patients have high risks that they will have to live with permanent disabilities. Nowadays, meningitis becomes a rare condition in the U.S. because of the improvement of the vaccine. Comparing to the United States, many other countries in the world are still struggling with meningococcal disease. For instance, WHO reported a meningitis outbreak, which killed 545 people out of 8,234 meningitis patients in Nigeria

disease was later determined to be meningitis. In 1806, the United States saw its first outbreak of meningitis in Massachusetts. It was not until 1887, however, that Professor Anton Weichselbaum was able to determine a cause of meningitis: a bacterium called Neisseria meningitides. Penicillin was first used to combat meningitis in 1944, and in 1978, a vaccine became available. The usage of vaccines was detrimental in the battle to gain control over the spread of meningitis (7). Even with these vaccines

Meningitis – is a kind of infection or inflammation that affects the delicate membranes of the brain and spinal cord in infected individuals. Bacterial meningitis is fatal and contagious among people in close contact and can be caused by several bacteria. The most common cause in children and adults are Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Streptococcuspneumoniae (pneumococcus) and among elderlies are Listeria monocytogenes. These forms of infections need immediate medical attention. (1)

synthesized over 17,000 contaminated steroid pain injections that were shipped to 23 states.2 Up to this point, the methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) injections compounded by the NECC have caused the death of 64 people and resulted in 751 cases of fungal meningitis in 11 states. With over 750 cases and still counting, the NECC outbreak is one the largest of healthcare-associated infections ever reported in the United States.3 In 2006, the NECC was under investigation by the Massachusetts pharmacy board

A biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease is known as a vaccine. A vaccine contains an agent that would stimulate the body’s immune system. The immune system will recognize the agent as “foreign” and destroy it, once destroyed, the body will keep a record of it so the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters. The agent in the vaccine, resembling a disease-causing microorganism, is often made from a weakened

Introduction Bacterial Meningitis affects the nervous system by causing inflammation of a trio of membranes known as the Meninges that are situated around the brain and spinal cord. It 's a disease that is slowly but surely being defeated worldwide with mortality rates falling from 464,000 deaths in 1990 to 303,000 in 2013[3]. Common symptoms throughout the period of an infection include; headaches, vomiting, fever, neck stiffness and an altered mental state. The severity of symptoms can depend

efficient ways of agricultural development otherwise problems will continue to arise in many forms. Coral reef decline has thought to be linked with the rise of African dust, due to the demise of reef health since 1970. Since 1974, 29 major marine outbreaks have been recorded and of the 29, 20 of them were located in the Atlantic basin and nearby areas (Sherman et al., 1992). 8 of the 29

se that is endemic to the southwest United States (California, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico), Mexico, Central America, and South America [1]. Disease infection results from inhaling the spores from soil fungus Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii [1]. The two fungi are located in separate regional locations, however, studies have shown that they are relatively identical and manifest the disease in the same way. Calling home in arid, desert areas, Coccidioidomycosis spores

major contributors to human disease.(1, 2) As populations of immunocompromised and/or hospitalized patients continue to increase, so will the incidence of invasive fungal infections. A recent study reported that fungemia in the United States increased by 207% between 1979 and 2000.(3) Moreover, as the populations at risk for fungal infection continue to expand, so will the spectrum of pathogens capable of infecting those individuals. Invasive mycoses may be categorized as i) opportunistic or