Strain Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Found In US For First Time
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Researchers have made a startling discovery after a person in the United States for the first time was found carrying a bacteria resistant to antibiotics of last resort.
The Washington Post reported a 49-year-old woman from Pennsylvania tested positive for an antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli. It's the first time someone in the U.S. has been infected with this type of bacteria. The strain was found in the woman's urine and is resistant to the antibiotic colistin, which is a drug of last resort against superbugs, including CRE, which is known as "nightmare bacteria."
Up to 50 percent of patients who contract CRE die.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE, which stands for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, "are a family of germs that are difficult to treat because they have high levels of resistance to antibiotics." People who happen to contract CRE are usually in hospitals, nursing homes and other types of health care settings.
"It basically shows us that the end of the road isn't very far away for antibiotics – that we may be in a situation where we have patients in our intensive-care units, or patients getting urinary tract infections for which we do not have antibiotics," CDC Director Tom Frieden told the Post.
He added, "I've been there for TB patients. I've cared for patients for whom there are no drugs left. It is a feeling of such horror and helplessness. This is not where we need to be."
The CDC is working with Pennsylvania health officials to determine how this woman contracted the bacteria.
The Post reported that the colistin-resistant bacteria was found in pigs, raw pork meat and a small number of people in China last November. The strain was also discovered in Europe and elsewhere.