A rare deadly bacteria has infected patients at St. Agnes Hospital, authorities said Friday. But hospital officials would not say how many patients came down with acinetobacter.
The University of Maryland Medical Center confirmed three deaths from the bacteria earlier this month.
“Doctors and nurses at St. Agnes Hospital, as in every hospital across the country, are engaged in a constant battle against drug-resistant infections,” said John Welby, a hospital spokesman.
“In this regard, St. Agnes Hospital has identified a handful of cases of Acinetobacter baumannii and has put in place an aggressive infection control plan to contain it.”
The bacteria is highly resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. But unlike other so-called superbugs, acinetobacter infections rarely harm those without serious injuries or illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Like drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria is common in dirt and can be carried on the skin or even colonize otherwise healthy individuals.
University of Maryland officials said those who died had been extremely ill for a long time.
