Biosecurity

'Nightmare bacteria' cases seen in 27 states, CDC reports

More than 220 cases of a breed of “nightmare bacteria” with new or rare antibiotic-resistant genes, have been found in 27 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report released Tuesday.

The CDC has warned of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria for years, but these “nightmare bacteria” are “virtually untreatable” and capable of spreading genes that make them “impervious” to most antibiotics, Scientific American reported.

The nightmare bacteria that are resistant to almost every drug are particularly deadly in the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, as up to 50 percent of the resulting infections are fatal, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director, told the magazine.


Schuchat said at news conference that the CDC was working to get “in front of them before they do become common,” Live Science reported.

“We have data showing an aggressive approach works” to halt the spread of these new threats, she said.

About 2 million Americans get sick from antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year and 23,000 die, the CDC reported.