In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.950523074113.2915A-100000 at chuma>, "Cliff
Harrison (GEO)" <charriso at chuma.cas.usf.edu> wrote:
> A fireman in my neighborhood (SW Florida) and his wife spent about 24
> hours floating in Charlotte Harbour last year after their boat capsized.
> Now both are reported to be infected with a bacteria called pseudomonas
> aeriginosa. The bacteria is reportedly "eating away at their bones",
> resulting in a broken back for the wife and a body brace for the
> fireman. No information has been forthcoming from local medical
> officials regarding the potential for infection of this type as a result
> of swimming or eating local seafood, but this is obviously a rare
> infection, as there are more watercraft in this area than there are in
> many states.
The Pseudomonas aeruginosa organism is a gram-negative bacterium. It is
ubiquitous in nature; it can be found in water, air and soil. It is also
found close to home, in your bathroom sink faucet, in chlorinated pools
and in hot tubs. Although I have never heard of an "eating at the bones"
clinical manifestation, it is common that individuals develop
folliculitis, or a skin rash, following exposure to large numbers of the
bacterium. It is an opportunistic pathogen, which means that it can cause
disease/illness in patients who are immunocompromised. Finally, I find it
interesting to read that broken backs have resulted in this incident;
however, it probably wasn't due to the Pseudomonas organism.
Dr. Michael J. Miller
--
Michael
