More drugs linked to fungal meningitis outbreak

By Val Brickates Kennedy, MarketWatch

BOSTON (MarketWatch) Two more drugs have linked to a deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis around the country, the Centers for Disease Control reported Monday.

The CDC said it has received reports that a patient with possible fungal meningitis, an infection of the protective membranes of the brain and spinal cord, was recently injected with the steroid drug triamcinolone acetonide.

In addition, two transplant patients who received the medication cardioplegic solution have been diagnosed with fungal infections. All of three infections involve the fungus aspergillus.

The agency said it is investigating whether the two drugs were manufactured by New England Compounding Center, or NECC, which has been implicated in the ongoing outbreak. The company recalled all of its products from the market on Oct. 6.

Why do some some people explode at little annoying things and others don't, like dealing with customer-service people or someone who cuts in line at the grocery store? Elizabeth Bernstein and Weill Cornell psychology professor Stephen Josephson discuss. Photo: AP.

Earlier this month, reports surfaced that patients injected with the steroid methylprednisolone acetate had developed a rare form of meningitis associated with fungus aspergillus. Investigators suspect the cases were caused by contaminated batches of the steroid produced by NECC.

As of Monday, 212 people have been reported with the brain infection, while two others have developed fungal-related joint infections. Of those, 15 have died. Tennessee has been hardest hit, reporting 53 cases and six deaths.

As opposed to bacterial or viral meningitis, fungal meningitis can not be transmitted from person-to-person contact.

The CDC is advising doctors with patients who received any NECC injectable drug made after May 21 to be on the lookout for symptoms of fungal meningitis.

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More drugs linked to fungal meningitis outbreak