For the second time since May, researchers reported discovering bacteria resistant to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic, in a patient receiving medical treatment, said Medscape Medical News. The discovery was part of an international search to gauge the prevalence of the resistant bacteria, which also have been found in livestock and are viewed as a salient threat to the antimicrobials used to treat and prevent disease.
Resistance to colistin is carried by a gene, MCR-1, that can hop from one type of bacteria to another on a DNA molecule called a plasmid. “The newly identified case is from a patient who had surgery in a New York hospital in 2015 and was identified as part of the most comprehensive surveillance project for the colistin-resistance gene … to date,” said Medscape.
Mariana Castanheira and her colleagues at JMI Laboratories found the MCR-1 gene in 19 of 13,526 samples collected during 2015 by hospitals in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. The 19 samples came from 10 countries, including Brazil, Hong Kong and Russia. “The fact that the gene has been detected in food livestock and raw meat is also concerning,” Castanheira said in a statement.
“The golden age of antibiotics appears to be coming to an end, its demise hastened by a combination of medical, social and economic factors,” said the Los Angeles Times. “For decades, these drugs made it easy for doctors to treat infections and injuries. Now, common ailments are regaining the power to kill.”