At last count, 58 Americans in 13 states have been infected, including at least one who died and at least five who suffered permanent vision loss.
The investigation started in May in Los Angeles County, California. A patient who'd recently been to an ophthalmologist came in with a bad eye infection. A month later, local health officials got a second report. Another bad eye infection, same eye doctor.
OYong and her colleagues knew they were dealing with a scary germ, and they notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Davis County, Utah, north of Salt Lake City, the first of six cases was reported to the CDC in August. While the patients had the bacteria, none actually got sick, said Sarah Willardson of the Davis County Health Department.
Given the initial cluster at the California ophthalmologist’s office, investigators suspected an eye care product was the culprit, though that hypothesis was complicated by the fact that the infections at the long-term care facilities were mainly found in the lungs. In January, genetic sequencing confirmed the Florida cases were caused by the same bacteria strain as the clusters in California, Connecticut and Utah. On Jan. 20, the CDC urged doctors to avoid recommending the EzriCare product.
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