Biosecurity

Dreaded Superbug Found For First Time In U.S. Patient - A Physician's Perspective

Brace yourselves. The scary antibiotic resistance gene, mcr-1, has been found in the U.S. for the first time, in a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman with symptoms of a urinary tract infection.

This gene was first discovered in China last winter, then in the Netherlands and more recently in two Canadian patients^⁠. The affected bacteria were found in animals, meat samples, and isolates from patients—including bloodstream. The gene confers resistance to colistin, a last-ditch antibiotic rarely used because it is so toxic. The gene has now spread to multiple countries.

It’s no great surprise the gene has reached the U.S. Travelers TRV +0.05% readily acquire another superbug called ESBL^⁠. This is a major reason I suggested delaying or moving the Rio Olympics—the adjacent bay’s water is teeming with raw sewage and resistant bacteria including CRE, which causes the infections we now have to treat with colistin.