A poo from an unknown person in Hungary was used to treat an antibiotic-resistant superbug and save the life of Kotara's Cameron McCallum . Login or signup to continue reading The 17-year-old has spent a record 654 days in John Hunter Children's Hospital, but will soon be going home. A pizza party was held at the hospital on Wednesday to celebrate his survival and mark his pending discharge.
Many people helped save his life, including the person in Hungary who will never know their poo was used in a last-chance effort to treat Cameron. He had a klebsiella bacterial infection in his abdomen that wasn't responding to antibiotics. "He had phage treatment in August last year in a trial, but it wasn't a big enough dose to fight the level of infection," mum Ann McCallum said.
A phage is a virus that targets a specific bacteria. Miraculously, a medical team found the specific phage needed for Cameron in public sewage in Hungary. "His phage was developed at Westmead and administered like a medication.
It saved his life. They worked long and hard in conjunction with the Hungary team," Ann said. In a speech at Wednesday's party, Ann said "if you are here, it is because Cameron loves you".
Ann said family, friends and the John Hunter community had "all played an important part in Cameron's recovery and our survival as a family". "We can't ever express how grateful we are." Cameron went through long-running bouts of sepsis, after chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, .
