Most of us have heard of MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and many of us have heard of VRE (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus). These are the prototypical drug resistant bacteria that are wreaking havoc in hospitals, mainly in the United States. However, another superbug or drug resistant microorganism has recently been identified that may become just as well known (and more feared) as MRSA and VRE.
When we think of E. coli we generally consider one of two types of infections. On the one hand, there are the E. coli infections that pop up from time to time infected meat, usually beef. Some strains of E. coli can cause a particularly nasty bloody diarrhea that is fatal to the very young and the very old. On the other hand, E. coli is also the bug that is usually associated with an annoying, but generally not serious, urinary tract infection or UTI. Aside from these common diseases, E. coli can cause a number of human diseases ranging from mild to severe.
The saving grace has been that early antibiotic treatment E. coli infections have kept the bacterium from causing serious disease and make mild diseases go away very quickly. Unfortunately researchers have identified a drug-resistant strain of E. coli that thwarts the efforts of all of the typical antibiotics that would normally stop the bug in its tracks.
While this new drug resistant has only recently been reported, there have been isolated cases in the Americas, Europe, and Australia. Other continents are presumed to be or will soon be affected. Not only is it widespread, it is rapidly becoming the dominant strain in human disease. One report found that 40% of E. coli samples surveyed were of this resistant strain. Even more frightening is that these E. coli bacteria possess a new gene called NDM-1 that makes them resistant to basically every antibiotic that we have.
The response to this rapidly emerging health threat has been swift; however, the steps needed to fight this new superbug will take time and resources. In separate lines of research, the source of this new strain and this NDM-1 gene need to be isolated, the bug itself needs to be fully characterized, rapid testing methods for this drug resistant strain need to be developed, measures to stop the spread of the bug must be instituted, and a new antibiotic must be created to meet this threat.
Kumarasamy KK, Toleman MA, Walsh TR et al. Emergence of a new antibiotic resistance mechanism in India, Pakistan, and the UK: a molecular, biological, and epidemiological study. Lancet Infect Dis 2010.
