The Super Bug

November 9, 2005 (WLS) -- While much of the world is preparing for the next flu pandemic, a leading expert on infectious diseases says there is something right now that we should be more concerned about.

Hospitals used to be the prime breeding ground for drug-resistant staph infections. Patients with open wounds or weakened immune systems were most vulnerable. But, this germ is now showing up in the community, and the Chicago area has become a hot spot for a rare and very aggressive form attacking healthy people. Most at risk are children.

On June 16 of this year Madeline and Luke Reimer were born several weeks premature. By all accounts, the twins from suburban Plainfield were considered healthy.

"She was the one who truly from the beginning had her eyes open and was taking everything in. she was very beautiful," said Beth Reimer, mother.

Madeline came home first. Her parents say things were going well. Then, at seven weeks old, she appeared to come down with the common cold, but within 24 hours she was fighting for her life.

"I picked her up and ran upstairs and told my husband something was wrong and she was breathing faintly," Reimer said.

Madeline was eventually diagnosed with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

"When the test results came back as MRSA I felt like I was in a foreign land. I did not know what it mean," said Reimer.

MRSA was once a common hospital germ but is now showing up in the community in seemingly healthy people. In rare cases it has become a so-called "super bug," with the ability to cause a toxic-shock-like illness, especially in children, within a matter of hours.

"It's very scary," said Dr. Robert Daum from the University of Chicago Hospitals. "It's much more real now than bird flu, which isn't real yet."

Daum is trying to sound the alarm. Recently, in the New England Journal of Medicine, he was part of a study documenting cases of three Chicago-area children who died from this super bug.

Now, 8-year-old Jewan Smith from the South Side of Chicago is the latest victim. A couple of weeks ago he fell off his bike and scraped his knee.

"Kids fall off their bike and scrape their knee all the time, but he had MRSA probably on his skin. So once he scrapped his knee, the MRSA said, 'A-ha! We get a chance to go in.' So once it gets in, it gets into the bloodstream and spreading around his body, and the germ is able to make toxins or poisons," said Dr. Daum, a pediatric infectious disease specialist.

In its most virulent form it can shut down organs in a matter of hours. If caught early enough strong antibiotics may help.

Jewan has necrotizing pneumonia, a type of toxic shock syndrome that aggressively attacks the lungs. It is the same thing that eventually killed Madeline Reimer 11 days after she was admitted to the hospital.

"She truly wanted to live and this virus, this bacteria attacked and had no mercy. It slowly killed her," Beth Reimer said.

There is no telling how Madeline or Jewan came in contact with this super bug. But, some doctors suspect they picked it up in the community. While the cases are still considered rare, researchers believe we will be seeing more, and while that is alarming, doctors don't want parents to panic; they just want them to be aware.

MRSA was detected on other members of the Reimer family, including Madeline's twin brother Luke. All have been treated with antibiotics and are fine.

Beth Reimer hopes their personal tragedy can help save other lives.

"Something needs to be done," she said. "How many children need to die and how many children need to suffer?"

Researchers say the key to prevention is more money to study this super bug, with the hope of developing a vaccine. Dr. Daum says more physicians and nurses also need to be on the lookout for this dangerous infection.

Again, it is rare and not found in most people with typical cold symptoms or a scraped knee. But Daum says it is best to seek medical attention immediately if symptoms worsen, especially if cuts or scrapes become unusually painful, red or swollen.

While it may sound simple, experts say the best way to prevent MRSA is good hygiene. Simple handwashing can stop its spread.

As for Jewan Smith, he is still in very critical condition.

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