Superbug Fears Grow In the U.S.

ABC News: Superbug E. Coli Found for Just Second Time in US

For just the second time in the U.S., researchers have found evidence of E. coli bacteria that are genetically resistant to a last-resort antibiotic, according to a report published today in the medical journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

The superbug has a gene that makes it resistant to treatment with colistin, an antibiotic often used by doctors as a last resort for antibiotic-resistant infections, the report states.

In this case, the bacteria were genetically resistant to colistin but not to other forms of antibiotics that could be used to kill the E. coli. However, researchers are concerned that these bacteria could transfer genes to other E. coli and different bacteria that are already resistant to all forms of antibiotics except colistin, leading to the chance of a fully antibiotic-resistant strain of bacterium. Researchers are especially concerned about the possibility that the gene could be transferred within the Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria, which includes E. coli. Some strains in that family are already largely resistant to many kind of antibiotics in the U.S.

Read more ....

Update #1: Infection experts warn of more U.S. superbug cases in coming months (Reuters)
Update #2: A 'slow catastrophe' unfolds as the golden age of antibiotics comes to an end (L.A. Times)

WNU Editor: My brother is in the biotech field .... a top researcher working in the Bay Area in California. He has been warning about the rise of superbugs for years .... and now it is at our doors. Make no mistake about it .... this is going to impact all of us in the years to come.

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