Superbugs: Tiny Super-Villains That Lurk in Hospitals Across the Nation

DALLAS, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A hospital is thought of as a place people go to get well. A safe haven, right? However, the very place charged with healing patients can also serve as an environment where they get sicker with mysterious afflictions they didn't have upon admission. 

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What might sound like a post-apocalyptic movie premise is actually a stark reality faced by today's hospitals and patients alike. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs," cause a minimum of 23,000 deaths and 2 million illnesses each year. These bacteria thrive in a hospital setting, where the CDC further estimates that one out of every 25 hospital patients acquires one of these often-deadly infections for a total of 1.7 million infections annually – compromising care, risking lives and creating a massive financial burden (one that costs the health care system up to $35 billion annually).

These so-called superbugs have been grabbing headlines across the nation recently, and the World Health Organization cautions that in developing countries, the prevalence of HAIs could reach as high as 20 percent annually. Just last fall, President Barack Obama signed an executive order launching federal efforts to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and his proposed 2016 budget nearly doubles the amount of funding allocated to do so. 

The executive order, titled Combating Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria, reads in part: "The Federal Government will work domestically and internationally to detect, prevent and control illness and death related to antibiotic-resistant infections by implementing measures that reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and help ensure the continued availability of effective therapeutics for the treatment of bacterial infections." And, President Obama came through on his promise as his administration delivered the National Action Plan to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on March 27, which addresses both origins and solutions to the problem.

As 2015 continues to press forward, here are five of the top superbugs impacting our health care environments (with information sourced from the CDC):

• Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) – The CDC reports that CRE bacteria have become resistant to nearly all available antibiotics and kill close to 50 percent of people when infection enters the bloodstream. Impact figures indicate an estimated 9,300 infections and 610 deaths per year.
• Clostridium difficile (C. diff) – C. diff infections are linked to more than 14,000 American deaths every year, and it is estimated that this figure has quadrupled in the last 10 years. C. diff is most known to occur in hospitalized patients and those who recently had medical care.
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) – Although hospital deaths related to these bacteria have decreased over the last six years, MRSA and its range of illnesses – particularly staph bacteria – continue to be a leading cause of HAIs, resulting in more than 11,000 deaths per year.
• Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) – Enterococci-caused infections of the bloodstream, surgical site and urinary tract contribute to 20,000 infections and 1,300 deaths per year. Some strains of enterococci have few or no treatment options via antibiotics.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa – Another common cause of HAIs, multi-drug resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause illnesses like pneumonia, is common in bloodstream and surgical site infections, and contributes to 6,700 infections and 440 deaths per year.

Now more than ever, infection prevention and quality control protocols are major focus areas for health care systems across the country. Research and new technologies are contributing to the effort to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the front lines. A study in the November 2014 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control confirmed the effectiveness of a new technology in reducing the number of hospital surface bacteria by more than 99 percent at least eight weeks after a single application – essentially eliminating dangerous pathogens, like these superbugs, from the hospital landscape.

Conducted by scientists at the University of Arizona in Tucson, the study focused on SurfaceWise™ by Allied BioScience – a transparent antimicrobial surface coating that binds to surfaces at a molecular level, forming a protective shield that creates a hostile microscopic environment for pathogens. This makes it difficult for infection-causing microbes to survive. As surfaces are touched, therefore recontaminated, the treated surface itself reacts to fight the threat. SurfaceWise is the first technology of its kind proven effective in providing continuous disinfecting action when applied to almost any surface

"Every week, we read about how superbugs are gaining ground in our health care environments, and it's time to redefine the standard of clean," said Michael Ruley, CEO of ABS. "The efficacy proven through application of SurfaceWise in various hospital environments is second to none. We're confident we can significantly reduce the spread of infection and these superbugs."

About Allied BioScience

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Allied BioScience is an allied team of scientists and business professionals dedicated to strategically delivering new technologies to health care and other public sectors that reduce the spread of infection caused by surface pathogens. Through these advancements, ABS is focused on reducing the incidence of contamination and illness caused by microbes, therefore redefining what it means for a surface to be clean. For more information, visit www.alliedbioscience.com.

For more information, contact:
Daniel Wade  
Obsidian Public Relations
Phone: 901-572-1042
Email

SOURCE Allied BioScience

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