Superbug Now Reported In The U.S.

Superbug Now Reported In The U.S. Photo Via: http://patrick.net On Thursday, researchers reported the sudden appearance of a much dreaded, drug-resistant, “superbug,” for the first time in the U.S. This superbug has a particular genetic variation that makes it completely unstoppable, even by the last-ditch antibiotic called colistin. It’s already made appearances in Europe and in China, but this is the first time it has appeared in the U.S, which is making doctors extremely worried for the health of the general population. Still, this isn’t something to be worried about quite yet. This first appeared in a case with a woman in Pennsylvania that had symptoms of a UTI (urinary tract infection) but instead had a mutated, E. coli germ. Still, there hasn’t been any large-scale spread of the bug, and this particular one was actually susceptible to other drugs. So what exactly is the problem? To put it simply: there is a mutated gene in this bug that’s making it drug-resistant. This gene, called the mcr-1, is passed from bacteria to bacteria. It sits on plasmid, a material within a bacteria, and waits to be passed to the next one. The problem is that this E. coli bacteria that houses the mcr-1 gene might actually get passed to another superbug with mutations of its own, creating a bug that isn’t at all susceptible to any known antibiotics. According to Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “If such a superbug spread, it would take the world back to a time when there were no antibiotics … It is the end of the road for antibiotics unless we act urgently.” Luckily, this bug is staying under wraps for now, as the woman in which we first saw the mutated gene hadn’t travelled and luckily hadn’t passed this to anyone else. Since this case, researchers have been on the lookout for any sign of another case, and unfortunately came across one. This new case was reportedly found this past Thursday. It’s another E. coli bacteria that houses the mcr-1 mutation. And because the bit of DNA present is something that bacteria can easily swap amongst themselves, this mutation helps it to fight off the effects of colistin. According to Frieden, “It was an old antibiotic, but it was the only one left for what I called nightmare bacteria, carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, or CRE.” And luckily, the mutated bacteria ended up being susceptible to carbapenems. However, it was still resistant to many other antibiotics. So we’re not completely out of the woods yet. Of course, this search for the mutation has only been underway for about three weeks, so there’s no telling how widespread the bacteria has gone. According to Frieden, “We know now that the more we look, the more we are going to find … The more we look at drug resistance, the more concerned we become.” This same mutation was already recently found in a pig. According to the report: “Out of 949 animal samples screened so far, one strain of colistin-resistant E. coli was found in a pig intestinal sample The DNA sequence of this isolate revealed that the strain contained the mcr-1 gene on a plasmid. The scientists also determined that the mcr-1 carrying colistin-resistant E. coli is resistant to other antiobiotics including ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, and tetracycline.” The CDC has been warning the public about this drug-resistant bacteria for years. In fact, it has actually been urging drug companies to begin developing new antibiotics and urging the public to utilize the ones currently available to protect themselves against this superbug potential. Even though this woman in Pennsylvania appears to be an isolated case, the state health department is still working with the CDC to test the patient and her family as well as others in the area to ensure this bacteria hasn’t spread. This is especially dangerous because there are no illnesses or symptoms necessarily involved with this bacteria, so the carrier may not even know they have it. Because of this, the researchers are asking that everyone be on alert as research progresses. Of course, there have been similar reports of patients carrying the bacteria that houses the mcr-1 mutation in other countries, but these reports are very skimpy on details as well. And to add to the problem, colistin, that last-ditch antibiotic, is typically unused because of the harsh side-effects including major kidney damage. And, to top it all off, several of these international cases in which patients have been infected involve a CRE bacteria that carries the mcr-1 gene mutation. And if this is happening in other countries, it’s probably already here as well. And to make matters worse, bacteria actually develops resistance to drugs fairly quickly so even if there were an option, it won’t be a viable one for very long. According to the CDC, “more than two million people are infected by drug-resistant germs each year, and 23,000 die of their infections.” So in the near future, it’s going to be extremely important that we keep an eye on our health, and be sure to stay up-to-date on the news, just in case this becomes a national crisis. To read more on this alarming news, visit NBC News.