By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday the updated number of confirmed and probable lung injury cases, deaths associated with the use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products, and new laboratory testing.
As of October 15, 2019, 1,479 confirmed and probable lung injury cases associated with use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products were reported by 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In addition, 33 deaths have been confirmed in 24 states: Alabama, California (3), Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia (2), Illinois, Indiana (3), Kansas (2), Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
CDC officials also announced they are doing additional laboratory testing–they are validating targeted methods to test chemicals in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, blood, or urine and has received initial samples for testing.
In addition, CDC is testing pathologic specimens, including lung biopsy or autopsy specimens, associated with patients and they are also validating methods for aerosol emission testing of case-associated product samples from e-cigarette, or vaping, products and e-liquids. Initial data from product sample testing has guided the need for these additional assays.
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Nocardia species are capable of producing excess lipids when peptidoglycan is deficient. I published a paper describing such a recovery from a canine hock fluid, grossly rich in lipid. J Clin Microbiol 18:702-708. 1983. Branched lipids of L-forms are longer and more unsaturated than those of the parent. Is there evidence for mycolic acid in the lung extracts? Do some patients exhibit signs of disseminated disease?Vaping deaths could be due to a lipophilic agent relying on mycolic acid for growth.