Sakasakii: A "Superbug"?

Another potential superbug make headlines as it has been blamed for deaths of infected infant. And it is something that parents should take note especially when they are using milk formula.

LAST year (Dec. 22), Daniel J. DeNoon of the WebMD Health News reported of an infant in Lebanon, Missouri who died of Cronobacter infection. Cronobacter is a newly recognized genus, comprising Gram-negative, rod-shaped, and disease-causing bacteria.

The family bought 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn from a local Walmart, with lot number ZP1K7G. (The infant formula is currently being tested, and not yet proven the source of the child’s infection. But its maker Mead Johnson graciously pulled it off out of caution.)

The culprit in infant infections like this has been a species called Cronobacter sakasakii. It is often detected in plant material, such as wheat (a base ingredient in many infant formula), rice, herbs and spices. In short, it is abundant in the environment.

Take note that, the so-called “superbugs” are Gram-negative bacteria, against which current medications remain inadequate. We have covered this race of dangerous microorganisms in a Breakthroughs article last year.

Although majority of these infectious cases involved adults, it is particularly invasive among infants, with a high fatality rate... [READ MORE]

This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 29 February 2012.

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