Woman in critical condition due to ‘flesh-eating bacteria’ infection

The patient lived in District 8, had high fever, difficulty breathing for 3 days, then respiratory failure, and was transferred to Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, nearly a month ago.

On October 10, MSc. Pho Thien Phuoc, Department of Cardiovascular Resuscitation, said that the patient had diffuse lung damage on both sides, an area of ​​nearly 70% of the volume of both lungs, severe hypoxemia, and signs of a dangerous syndrome. acute respiratory distress, risk of requiring ECMO intervention (cardiopulmonary resuscitation machine).

Blood culture results were positive for the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei that causes Whitmore’s disease. This is a very dangerous infectious disease with a high mortality rate. After 4 days of “targeted” treatment of Whitmore bacteria, lung damage and severe respiratory failure improved dramatically. After 7 days of invasive ventilation, the patient was successfully weaned off the ventilator and gradually recovered almost completely.

She has a habit of walking barefoot on the ground when exercising in the park to increase the sensitivity of her legs and help strengthen her muscles. “Maybe because of this habit, I got infected with bacteria,” the woman shared.

The bacteria that cause Whitmore’s disease are also known as “flesh-eating” bacteria, often found in tropical climate countries such as Southeast Asia, Northern Australia… Recent statistics in Thailand and Singapore show the rate of patients Mortality due to sepsis caused by this agent is up to 40-50%. If the victim has severe pneumonia, the risk of death can be up to 75%.

Whitmore disease is often transmitted through contact with contaminated soil and water and often appears in patients with reduced resistance such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, alcoholism… Early diagnosis, aggressive treatment The right agent right from the start will help dramatically improve the patient’s prognosis, avoiding the risk of needing expensive and invasive resuscitation methods such as ECMO.

Currently, there is no vaccine for Whitmore disease, nor are there any recommendations on the use of prophylactic antibiotics. Bacteria often live in soil, especially moist soil and polluted water. When there is an open wound, bacteria can easily enter the body, causing infection. Initially, the disease may only cause mild symptoms such as fever, cough, and muscle pain. If not treated promptly, the disease progresses seriously, causing damage to many organs and even death.

Doctors recommend that people when working outdoors need to be fully equipped with labor protection such as gloves and boots to avoid direct contact with soil and dirty water. In addition, you should not exercise barefoot.

If you are accidentally scratched or have an open wound, wash it with clean water and soap, bandage it, and go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

Le Phuong