Q&A: 'Phantom Menace' Superbug Bacteria
By Brenda Goodman
Experts at the CDC recently reported that a new type of superbug bacteria has emerged in the U.S.
The bacteria has been dubbed the “phantom menace” for its ability to fool doctors into thinking it’s less harmful that it actually is, and it has sickened 43 patients in this country since 2010. The early 2015 outbreak of CRE, or carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, linked to contaminated endoscopes at UCLA Medical Center was caused by a “phantom menace” strain.
We asked Alex Kallen, MD, a medical officer in CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, to explain how the “phantom menace” got its name and where people catch it.
WebMD: Why is the bacteria called the ‘phantom menace’?