A UC Berkeley graduate who worked at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center died last Saturday after being infected with a rare strain of bacteria he had been working with at the center, media outlets reported this week.
Richard Din, 25, lived on Treasure Island in San Francisco and was being driven to the hospital with flu-like symptoms and a rash on his body when he lost consciousness in the car and later died in the hospital of a heart attack around 2 p.m., according to a report by the San Jose Mercury News.
According to the Mercury News, Din apparently fell ill from a blood stream infection known as septicemia, caused by a rare strain of bacteria, the same strain he was studying during his time as a meningitis research associate at the center.
Everyone who came into contact with Din while he was infected, including friends, co-workers and medical personnel who treated him, were given antibiotics this week, according to a report by CBS news.
Lab workers at the center will be more strictly urged to get vaccinations for diseases they study in the labs as a precaution while officials investigate Din’s death and how he handled the strain of Neisseria meningitidis, according to the Mercury News.
Anjuli Sastry is an assistant news editor.
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Neisseria meningitidis isn’t rare. About 10-20% of people have it in their throats.
Maybe this was the super virulent deadly strain of it?
Can we know what species the bacteria is? or is that information not available..
It’s
Neisseria meningitidis