Contaminated Eye Drops Linked to Fatal Outbreak

The death toll has risen to three in the US outbreak linked to contaminated eye drops. 68 patients across 16 states have been diagnosed with infections caused by a rare drug-resistant strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Eight people have lost their vision, with another four cases requiring at least one of their eyes to be surgically removed. The preservative-free brand of eye drops, EzriCare Artificial Tears, produced by an Indian pharmaceutical company called Global Pharma, is associated with most of the cases. The outbreak is caused by a new strain of P. aeruginosa resistant to the antibiotic carbapenem, making it especially hard to treat.