Deadly bacteria kills VA researcher in SF PUBLIC HEALTH

Marsha Edwards, RN, with the Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services Antoine Health Clinic holds a meningococcal vaccine dose Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Houston. The vaccine protects against most types of meningococcal disease. less Marsha Edwards, RN, with the Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services Antoine Health Clinic holds a meningococcal vaccine dose Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Houston. The vaccine protects against most ... more Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Deadly bacteria kills VA researcher in SF 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

State and federal health officials are investigating the death on Saturday of a young laboratory research associate at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center who died of a bloodstream infection that may have been caused by a deadly pathogen he had been working with in the lab.

The 25-year-old man, who has not been identified, had been handling the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, a strain of bacteria that can cause meningitis and bloodstream infections, or meningococcal disease.

The disease caused by this particular strain is rare in the United States, with only about 1,000 cases reported each year in this country. An estimated 75 people died from this type of meningococcal infection in 2010, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The VA researcher, who lived on Treasure Island with his girlfriend and roommates, began feeling ill Friday evening and went to bed, according to a VA official. When he awoke with worsening symptoms, he asked his friends to take him to the VA hospital, where he died Saturday morning.

"In his case, the time between the onset of symptoms and death was 17 hours. That's not uncommon with this disease," said Dr. Harry Lampiris, chief of infectious disease at the San Francisco VA, explaining that the initial symptoms tend to be vague.

The case is under investigation by the VA, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the state Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The CDC has offered its laboratories to test the patient's samples.

The VA researcher appears to have died from an infection associated with the bacteria he was working with, but "we can't rule out the possibility it was acquired in the community," said Lampiris. He said that 10 to 15 cases of meningococcal infection are reported in San Francisco each year. Investigators still need to confirm the strain that killed the researcher came from the lab.

While meningococcal disease can generally be prevented by vaccine, the vaccine is not effective against this particular strain of bacteria. Lampiris said the employee who died had not been vaccinated, but, as a precaution, all co-workers who had not been vaccinated have since received the inoculation.

In addition, about 60 VA employees, as well as the man's close contacts, have been given antibiotics to prevent infection. Antibiotics are used to treat the disease if caught early enough, although 10 to 20 percent of all patients die after being infected.

Lampiris said he does not believe the case poses a high risk at this point because the incubation period is generally three to five days.

Initial results of the investigation do not show any spills or equipment malfunction that could have caused the exposure, Lampiris said. The lab has since been decontaminated.

"Everyone around him said he was an outstanding worker and fastidious," he said.