British Marine - Age 18 - Killed By "Superbug"
D. Spencer Hines
Soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines do not have to be in Iraq or
Afghanistan to be killed.
DSH
--------------
May 24, 2005
"Marine killed by scratch and superbug"
By Simon de Bruxelles
The Times of London
"A SUPERFIT Royal Marine collapsed and died within days of scratching
his leg on a bush while on a training run — victim of a mutated superbug
one doctor described as the worst she had ever seen.
Richard Campbell-Smith, 18, fell victim to pneumonia caused by a rare
strain of bacteria that produces a lethal toxin that kills white blood
cells.
A microbiologist who gave evidence at the inquest into his death
yesterday said that she had come across two such cases since December
but none in the previous 15 years.
Marina Morgan, of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, said that
although cases of the toxin Panton-Valentine leukocidin were still rare,
it was difficult to detect, even during post-mortem examination, and
many cases might be slipping through.
Cases of the toxin have been reported in America, France, Australia and
the Far East and Dr Morgan described the staphylococcus infection as the
worst she had encountered.
Mr Campbell-Smith’s grandmother, Edwina Fooks, said that the teenager
was extremely fit and 28 weeks into his 32-week course at the Royal
Marines’ Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon, when he was
taken ill.
The recruits had spent the week on a rigorous training programme and Mr
Campbell-Smith had scratched his legs on gorse bushes while running on
Woodbury Common on October 31 last year.
He was admitted to the medical unit on the same day and called Mrs Fooks
to let her know that he was feeling unwell.
Mrs Fooks, 74, from Bournemouth, said: “He called me and said the
training had been hard that week and it had been pouring with rain and
freezing cold.
“He told me he found it really hard going and he was very, very cold
and his hip hurt and he couldn’t walk.
“I was worried when he told me that because he never feels the cold.
It was so unusual for him to be unwell.”
Three days after getting the scratches, Mr Campbell-Smith was found
collapsed on the floor by his bed. He was admitted to the Royal Devon
and Exeter Hospital and died shortly after arrival.
A post-mortem examination revealed that he had cardiac and respiratory
failure. Dr Morgan said that victims of the superbug were unable to
resist it, no matter how fit they were.
The infection spread to Mr Campbell-Smith’s lungs, causing pneumonia
which is fatal in three out of four cases. Dr Morgan said: “PVL is an
horrendous toxin because it kills white blood cells so they can’t kill
the bug.
“It is the worst bug I have ever seen and people really need to know
about it. It is untreatable. It multiplies very quickly. One bug will
multiply into 17 million within 24 hours. Usually signs include
pneumonia, coughing up blood and very high temperatures, but not
everyone will look for it.
“PVL testing is very complicated because samples have to be sent to
London.”
Lieutenant-Commander Alistair Allsop, the surgeon at Lympstone, told the
inquest that Mr Campbell-Smith’s death shocked everyone at the base.
He said: “He was very jovial, interacting well. He was a nice,
likeable recruit.”
Elizabeth Earland, the Exeter and Greater Devon District Coroner,
recorded a verdict of accidental death. She said: “I am going to make
a recommendation to the medical officer for health that he disseminates
information to all doctors updating them on likely symptoms of this
infection.
“This is to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment in the hope that
mortality of this dreadful infection be reduced.”"
----------------
DSH
<_GODS__CREATOR_>
> Very sad.
>
> Soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines do not have to be in Iraq or
> Afghanistan to be killed.
>
> DSH
> --------------
>
> May 24, 2005
>
> "Marine killed by scratch and superbug"
>
> By Simon de Bruxelles
> The Times of London
>
> "A SUPERFIT Royal Marine collapsed and died within days of scratching
> his leg on a bush while on a training run — victim of a mutated superbug
> one doctor described as the worst she had ever seen.
>
>
>
Thus Spake God's Creator; (I don't forgive shit!)
That SuperBug is alive and well in America also...
http://hopkins-abxguide.org/show_pages.cfm?content=Feb-05_content.html#09_Feb
GOD'S CREATOR
...That was my only sin...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wise men face unknowns, and boldly looks for reality!
Others... fall on their hands and knees, and start mumbling...
Todays Holy Wars News:
http://www.antiwar.com
Bruce Sinclair
>D. Spencer Hines wrote:
>> Very sad.
>> Soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines do not have to be in Iraq or
>> Afghanistan to be killed.
>> DSH
>> --------------
>>=20
>> May 24, 2005
>>=20
>> "Marine killed by scratch and superbug"
>> By Simon de Bruxelles
>> The Times of London
>> "A SUPERFIT Royal Marine collapsed and died within days of scratching
>bug
>> one doctor described as the worst she had ever seen.
>>=20
>> DSH
>>=20
>
>
> Thus Spake God's Creator; (I don't forgive shit!)
>
>That SuperBug is alive and well in America also...
>09_Feb
.. so how is this relevant to these news groups ?
Bruce
-------------------------------------
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
- George Bernard Shaw
Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.
- Ambrose Bierce
Caution ===== followups may have been changed to relevant groups
(if there were any)
rb
> Very sad.
>
> Soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines do not have to be in Iraq or
> Afghanistan to be killed.
>
> DSH
> --------------
>
> May 24, 2005
>
> "Marine killed by scratch and superbug"
>
> By Simon de Bruxelles
> The Times of London
>
> "A SUPERFIT Royal Marine collapsed and died within days of scratching
> his leg on a bush while on a training run — victim of a mutated superbug
> one doctor described as the worst she had ever seen.
>
> Mr Campbell-Smith’s grandmother, Edwina Fooks, said that the teenager
> was extremely fit and 28 weeks into his 32-week course at the Royal
> Marines’ Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon, when he was
> taken ill.
>
Being superfit does not equate to superimmune. Quite the contrary actually.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11897880&dopt=Abstract
"Strenuous prolonged exertion and heavy training are associated with
depressed immune function. Furthermore, improper nutrition can compound
the negative influence of heavy exertion on immunocompetence....."
28 weeks into a 32 week course, hmmm...
rb
Bruce Sinclair
And still ... how is this relevant ? :)
rb
>>[snip]
>>
>>Being superfit does not equate to superimmune. Quite the contrary actually.
>>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=
>>11897880&dopt=Abstract
>>"Strenuous prolonged exertion and heavy training are associated with
>>depressed immune function. Furthermore, improper nutrition can compound
>>the negative influence of heavy exertion on immunocompetence....."
>>
>>28 weeks into a 32 week course, hmmm...
>
>
> And still ... how is this relevant ? :)
>
> Bruce
Was the OP relevant?
Michael W Cook
Spencer Hines" <pogue...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Very sad.
>
> Soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines do not have to be in Iraq or
> Afghanistan to be killed.
>
> DSH
> --------------
>
> May 24, 2005
>
> "Marine killed by scratch and superbug"
>
> By Simon de Bruxelles
> The Times of London
>
> "A SUPERFIT Royal Marine collapsed and died within days of scratching
> his leg on a bush while on a training run ã victim of a mutated superbug
> one doctor described as the worst she had ever seen.
WRONG.....
He was 18 and he was doing the Royal Marine Commando Course.
He was NOT a Royal Marine, he was a trainee.
Not until you have completed the course and have been awarded a Green Beret
can you call yourself a Royal Marine.
Was Prince Edward a Royal Marine ?
Did he ever wear a Green Beret ?
No, because he couldn't hack it and didn't complete the course.
Yet again our resident Housing Officer parades his military ignorance for
all to see, if he must cut and paste newspaper articles you'd think he'd at
least check the facts are correct.
Still, when you were a Naval Commander dealing with blocked drains and
changing locks all the time, I suppose we should make allowances.