Bacterial Infections

In South Jersey, the Press of Atlantic City reports, the state Health Department warned long-term care facilities, like nursing homes of the potentially contaminated medical supplies.

The bacteria, B. cepacia, which can be found in soil and water, can cause no problems for healthy individuals, although it could exacerbate conditions for those with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. The CDC also says the bacteria is resistant to many common antibiotics.

Dr. Manish Trivedi, an infectious disease specialist and chairman of infection prevention at AtlantiCare, said the bacteria can cause fevers, chills, clammy skin, shortness of breath, abnormal heart rate and other symptoms. If symptoms reach a certain level, patients are often sent to the hospital, where doctors perform a blood culture to identify a bacteria and its strain.

According to the CDC, nearly 150 people across 58 facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New York have been infected with the bacterial. B. cepacia is linked to six deaths in those states, although the bacteria has not necessarily been named the cause of death.

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