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24/05/2005
Marine killed by rare superbug
Doctors are being warned to be on the alert for a rare and extremely lethal ‘superbug’, following the death of a Royal Marines recruit from the infection.
Eighteen-year-old Richard Campbell-Smith contracted the rare Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL), which has been linked to MRSA, last October. It was reported that he had scratched his legs on bushes during training at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone in Devon on October 31. He was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital when his condition worsened and he died on November 2.
A post-mortem examination found that that Mr Campbell-Smith, who was described as “superfit”, had suffered from cardiac and respiratory failure and traces of PVL were also discovered.
PVL, which produces a toxin that destroys white blood cells, is extremely virulent. Only a quarter of cases where the infection spreads to the chest will survive. It can be difficult to detect and spreads quickly – one bug can multiply into 17 million within 24 hours.
PVL was believed to have been eradicated in the 1950s. However, microbiologist Dr Marina Morgan, who gave evidence at an inquest into Mr Campbell-Smith’s death, said that she had seen two cases in the last nine weeks, having previously seen no such cases in the last fifteen years.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded in Mr Campbell-Smith’s case. However, the coroner, Dr Elizabeth Earlan, said that she would make a recommendation to the Chief Medical Officer to provide updated information on the symptoms of PVL infection for all doctors.
A spokesperson for the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said that PVL infection was still “extremely rare” in the UK. However, the HPA advised doctors who suspected cases of PVL infection to send patient samples to them for testing.
(KMcA/SP)
Eighteen-year-old Richard Campbell-Smith contracted the rare Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL), which has been linked to MRSA, last October. It was reported that he had scratched his legs on bushes during training at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone in Devon on October 31. He was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital when his condition worsened and he died on November 2.
A post-mortem examination found that that Mr Campbell-Smith, who was described as “superfit”, had suffered from cardiac and respiratory failure and traces of PVL were also discovered.
PVL, which produces a toxin that destroys white blood cells, is extremely virulent. Only a quarter of cases where the infection spreads to the chest will survive. It can be difficult to detect and spreads quickly – one bug can multiply into 17 million within 24 hours.
PVL was believed to have been eradicated in the 1950s. However, microbiologist Dr Marina Morgan, who gave evidence at an inquest into Mr Campbell-Smith’s death, said that she had seen two cases in the last nine weeks, having previously seen no such cases in the last fifteen years.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded in Mr Campbell-Smith’s case. However, the coroner, Dr Elizabeth Earlan, said that she would make a recommendation to the Chief Medical Officer to provide updated information on the symptoms of PVL infection for all doctors.
A spokesperson for the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said that PVL infection was still “extremely rare” in the UK. However, the HPA advised doctors who suspected cases of PVL infection to send patient samples to them for testing.
(KMcA/SP)
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