An antibiotic-resistant "superbug" has been reported at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the university announced Wednesday. One-hundred and seventy-nine patients were exposed to the bug between October 2014 and January 2015—the hospital believes the infection was a "contributing factor" in the deaths of two patients.

Patients were exposed to Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), the Los Angeles Times reports, while undergoing endoscopic procedures using "a specialized endoscope" inserted down the throat to treat digestive ailments, including cancers and gallstones. (As the Times also notes, the scopes used "are not the same type used in more routine endoscopies and colonoscopies.") From the Associated Press:

Similar outbreaks of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) have been reported around the nation. They are difficult to treat because some varieties are resistant to most known antibiotics. By one estimate, CRE can contribute to death in up to half of seriously infected patients, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bacteria can cause infections of the bladder or lungs, leading to coughing, fever or chills. CRE infections have been reported in every state except Idaho, Alaska and Maine, according to the CDC.

Despite the scopes being cleaned to the manufacturer's instructions, UCLA spokesperson Dale Tate told the AP, two scopes are believed to have been infected with CRE.

"We notified all patients who had this type of procedure, and we were using seven different scopes. Only two of them were found to be infected. In an abundance of caution, we notified everybody," Tate told the AP.

According to internal emails obtained by NBC News, after being notified of the potential outbreak, the Los Angeles County Health Department reported "no infection control breaches were observed" during an onsite inspection.

Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle reported a similar case of contaminated endoscopes last month, with 11 patients exposed from 2012 to 2014 having died from infection.

The patients potentially exposed to the bug are being offered free home-testing kits that will be analyzed by the hospital.

[Image via AP]