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CA-MRSA typically causes boils, pimples or pus-filled swellings often mistaken for spider bites. It can trigger large abscesses that need to be surgically drained, and in extreme cases, it can lead to life-threatening joint, lung, muscle or bone infections, says Dr. Daum. "We're also seeing alarming syndromes, particularly in kids, including bloodstream infections and flesh-eating bacteria that leave the lungs riddled with holes, like Swiss cheese."That's what happened to two-month-old Madeline Reimer and Andy Zack, 11. Both kids started off with seemingly minor problems. Madeline had a runny nose and a cough. Andy fell off his bike, banging his hip. A couple of days later, the sixth grader from Youngstown, Ohio, had a fever of 104 and was in such excruciating pain that he could barely walk. The baby girl from Plainfield, Illinois, turned pale and limp, says her mom, Beth Reimer. "I called 911, and they told me to do CPR. At one point, her eyes closed, and she lost all muscle tone. I thought she'd died in my arms. My husband and I were in hysterics, trying to get her to breathe."
Paramedics revived Madeline, who was airlifted from one hospital to a second. She was put on life support and vancomycin, a powerful IV antibiotic often effective against MRSA.
Andy, an energetic boy who loves to play soccer and ride his mountain bike, was hospitalized with a massive infection, says his dad, John Zack, a software engineer. "When they said he needed a hip operation to drain pus, I was crying because I was scared that he'd never walk or play again. I quit my job to stay at the hospital and take care of him."
As Andy lay in bed, with an eight-inch surgical incision in his thigh, he suddenly got short of breath. A scan showed fluid buildup in his chest. "The doctor said the infection was eating holes in the lower lobe of his lung and that if he didn't have another surgery, he'd die. I'd never been so terrified in my life," says John. "I couldn't believe one little bump on his bike could unleash an infection like this."
Beth Reimer got even bleaker news. CA-MRSA had destroyed one of her daughter's lungs and was starting to attack the other one. "I knew in my heart that she wasn't going to make it. Her little body faded so quickly. On her last day, July 22, 2005, the whole family was there to cherish every moment with her. We sang ‘You Are My Sunshine.' Just before her final breath, she opened her eyes and looked right at me -- that was such a blessing."
After Madeline's death, her twin brother, Luke, came down with a runny nose. "I was beside myself with fear that I was going to lose another child," Beth says. Although Luke tested positive for the superbug, as did his mother, he recovered in a few days, while Beth had no symptoms.
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