According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over 220 cases of a new breed of “nightmare bacteria” with new or rare antibiotic-resistant genes, have been found in 27 states.
We’ve warned about the growing problems of antibiotic-resistant bacteria for years, but the CDC says these new strains are “virtually untreatable” and capable of spreading genes that make them “impervious” to most antibiotics.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director, said she was surprised by the extent of the spread.
“As fast as we have run to slow [antibiotic] resistance, some germs have outpaced us,” Schuchat said. “We need to do more, and we need to do it faster and earlier.”
While those bacteria are terrifying on their own, the “unusual” genes discussed in this report are truly the “worst of the worst,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. About 2 million Americans are sickened by antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year and 23,000 die, according to the CDC.
“There are certain bacterial genes that are more worrisome than others, which are much harder to treat,” Adalja said. “These genes are lurking in American patients, and they are spreading in hospitals and healthcare facilities.”
It’s estimated that 700,000 to several million deaths result in every year because of Antimicrobial Resistance. Every year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, at least 23,000 people die as a result.