Hello,
Take a look at this picture:
It basically shows the process known as conjugation where a plasmid, an independent piece of DNA usually associated with antibiotic resistance, moves from one bacteria to another while making them resistance to antibiotics.
The bacteria, known as Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, are named for their ability to fight off carbapenem antibiotics -- the last line of defense in the medical toolbox. And so far, they've emerged almost exclusively in health care facilities, attacking the weakest of patients. CRE bacteria have the perfect mixture of plasmid DNA to protect them against all of the antibiotics known to man. Could it be argued that it is our own fault that created these super bacterial species? very well so.
Death rates among patients with CRE infections can be about 40%, far worse than other, better-known health care infections such as MRSA or C-Diff, which have plagued hospitals and nursing homes for decades.
In the worst case scenario, this resistance could start spreading to other species of bacteria and creating an entire new class of bacteria and this bacterial infections that would be untreatable by mankind.
CDC proposes intensive screening to try to isolate the infected individual and prevent CRE from spreading. In New York City, where CRE cases are endemic at many facilities, Bronx-based Montefiore Medical Center cut prevalence rates in half across its nine intensive care units with a program that relied heavily on screening.
At this point, we can hope that some drug can be effective against this strain before it turns into an epidemic.
Thank you,
Parth Patel
Take a look at this picture:
The bacteria, known as Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, are named for their ability to fight off carbapenem antibiotics -- the last line of defense in the medical toolbox. And so far, they've emerged almost exclusively in health care facilities, attacking the weakest of patients. CRE bacteria have the perfect mixture of plasmid DNA to protect them against all of the antibiotics known to man. Could it be argued that it is our own fault that created these super bacterial species? very well so.
Death rates among patients with CRE infections can be about 40%, far worse than other, better-known health care infections such as MRSA or C-Diff, which have plagued hospitals and nursing homes for decades.
In the worst case scenario, this resistance could start spreading to other species of bacteria and creating an entire new class of bacteria and this bacterial infections that would be untreatable by mankind.
CDC proposes intensive screening to try to isolate the infected individual and prevent CRE from spreading. In New York City, where CRE cases are endemic at many facilities, Bronx-based Montefiore Medical Center cut prevalence rates in half across its nine intensive care units with a program that relied heavily on screening.
At this point, we can hope that some drug can be effective against this strain before it turns into an epidemic.
Thank you,
Parth Patel
