Not all Crabs are Good!

CRAB, or Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, is an example that not everything crab-related is good news.

CRAB is a bacteria commonly found in soils and water, which causes infections in blood, urinary tract, lungs, wounds, as well as other body sites. Annoyingly it is also considered a multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria which makes its treatment complicated. Carbapenem is a group of antibiotics which are usually reserved for the treatment of MDR conditions, and lo and behold, this particular bacteria isn’t even phased by them.

It is one of only five bacteria that we know of that are resistant to this group of antibiotics. It does this by producing Carbapenemase which is an enzyme that breaks down the antibiotic treatment, rendering it useless.

The disease rarely affects healthy people, but as with so many things, it is those who are already most vulnerable who are most at risk. This includes the immuno-compromised (a word that has sadly now entered everyday language), as well as those who spend long periods in hospital and those with open wounds.

It is transmitted primarily through contaminated medical equipment or unsanitary conditions, especially in conflict zones. This is a trend recognised some time ago, which led it to be referred to as ‘Iraqibacter’ by the many victims of that conflict. The dry and sandy conditions there are ideal for bacteria as they create the perfect, sweaty and weakened skin for the bacteria to thrive.

Left unchecked the bacteria damages the skin and ultimately leads to sepsis, blood infections and death.

Sorry, but this is not a crab that we want anything to do with!