Flesh-eating bacteria outbreak

A rare flesh-eating bacteria has killed three elderly hospital patients in Christchurch in New Zealand, sparking fears the infection could spread. The 19 surviving patients on the ward and up to 40 staff members have been treated with antibiotics as a precaution after doctors identified necrotising fasciitis as the killer infection. Necrotising infections destroy muscles, fat and skin and can cause streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which leads to organ failure, plummeting blood pressure and rapid death. Group A streptococcus is most often the cause of necrotising infections, but other bacteria can also be involved.

Group A streptococcus (group A strep) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the throat and on the skin. The letter "A" refers to a classification of bacteria in the genus Streptococcus according to the makeup of the organism's cell wall. Group A strep bacteria might cause no symptoms of disease, but they can also cause infections that range from mild to life-threatening. Group A strep bacteria are spread by direct person-to-person contact. The bacteria are carried in discharges from the nose or throat of an infected person and in infected wounds or sores on the skin. The bacteria are usually spread when infected secretions come in contact with the mouth, nose, or eyes of an uninfected person. They can also enter the body through a cut or scrape.

The risk of spreading the infection is highest when an infected person is ill or has an infected wound. Infected persons who have no symptoms are much less contagious. Household objects like plates, cups, and toys do not play a major role in the spread of group A strep.