One Antibiotic Appears to Ease Severe E. Coli Infection Small
study looked at bacteria that caused German outbreak TUESDAY,
March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Patients suffering from a strain of
E. coli that produces Shiga toxin, which can be deadly, appear
to respond to the antibiotic azithromycin (Zithromax), according
to German researchers. Starting in May 2011, an outbreak of
Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli infected nearly 4,000 people in
Germany, more than 800 of whom had confirmed cases of hemolytic
uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes red blood cells to break
apart, resulting in kidney failure. Current treatment
discourages using antibiotics for Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli
because it could increase the risk for HUS, the researchers
note. "The successful decolonization of long-term carriers of
the German outbreak strain is an important finding, as the legal
authorities in many countries restrict long-term carriers in
their social or working life," said lead researcher Dr. Johannes
Knobloch, of the institute of