( CNN ) The deaths of two patients at a Los Angeles hospital are linked to the deadly bacteria CRE and more than 100 other patients may have been exposed to the drug-resistant superbug , a spokeswoman for the UCLA Health System said Wednesday . Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster said in a written statement that seven patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center are known to have been infected by carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae , and CRE was a contributing factor in the death of two of them . The hospital is contacting 179 other patients who had endoscopic procedures between October and January . The patients have been offered tests for the aggressive bacteria they can take at home . Moster said two scopes were sterilized to the manufacturer 's instructions . `` However , an internal investigation determined that CRE bacteria may have been transmitted during a procedure that uses this specialized scope to diagnose and treat pancreaticobiliary ( disorders of the bile ducts , gall bladder or pancreas ) , '' Moster said . The hospital notified the Los Angeles County and the state of California health departments when it discovered the bacteria . The L.A. County Public Health Department visited the hospital to review procedures . `` No infection control breaches were observed , '' the department said in a statement . Some CRE bacteria can resist most antibiotics , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website . The bacteria can kill up to half of patients who are infected . CDC : 'Nightmare bacteria ' spreading . CNN 's Dottie Evans contributed to this report .
UCLA says 179 people may have been exposed . Drug - resistant enterobacteriaceae is better known as CRE . UCLA says it can kill most drugs and kills about half the people it infects .