A New Castle County man has contracted the first known case in the country of a rare infection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 81-year-old man has NDM-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multidrug- resistant bacterial organism first reported in Serbia.
The bacteria can cause infections in the lungs, urinary tract and bloodstream among hospitalized patients, or those with weakened immune systems.
The man was initially hospitalized in Delaware with underlying medical conditions and is currently being treated in Pennsylvania.
Officials also are reporting a second case in a Pennsylvania resident. Both individuals were hospitalized at the same location in Pennsylvania and investigation into the cases continue.
The Delaware Division of Public Health is completing testing on the man’s hospital roommates in Delaware and report they are working closely with the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health.
According to the CDC, this particular strain is mainly caused by many other hospital bacteria and is becoming more difficult to treat because of increasing antibiotic resistance.
