Deadly new superbug on the rise

E. coli is a tough bug to battle in the best of times–but now, there’s a frightening new strain of this potentially deadly bacteria moving through America.

It’s called ST131, and researchers say it’s already resistant to some powerful antibiotics. In fact, if it gains one more resistance gene, it will become “almost untreatable,” according to a new study.

This new strain is like something out of a horror movie, because researchers don’t know where it came from or even how it’s spreading. But they do know this: It’s already turned up in Europe, Canada, and across the United States.

Researchers discovered the new strain after analyzing samples from 127 patients who suffered E. coli infections in 2007 that resisted commonly used extended-spectrum cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone antibiotics, according to the study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Of course, the fact that those antibiotics are so commonly used is part of the problem–our overuse of these meds has allowed common bugs such as E. coli to learn to resist them.

E. coli infections are marked by diarrhea (sometimes bloody) and flu-like symptoms including aches, cramps and a high fever. The toll of these infections can range from an unpleasant week near the toilet to kidney failure and even death.

Meanwhile, another new bacteria mutation is turning up in India and Pakistan, and it can make the bugs resistant to all antibiotics. Already, patients who have traveled to these countries are turning up ill in U.S. and British hospitals, and experts fear that the mutation–called NDM- 1–could start to spread, according to a report on the Lancet Web site.

But there is one bit of good news in the war on superbugs: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in hospitals are down by 28 percent over the four-year period from 2005 through 2008. Similarly, MRSA infections in all health-care settings are down by 17 percent during the same period.

The problem, of course, is that MRSA is just one of the many potential superbugs. I’ve told you before about some of the others that are on the rise, including Clostridium difficile. And as the latest bug activity shows, you can expect this problem to get a lot worse before it gets any better–if it gets any better.

Since these superbugs are, by definition, naturally resistant to many drugs, your best option is prevention. Use common sense and good hygiene, especially if you’re visiting a hospital, nursing home, or any other health-care facility.

And make sure you have a healthy immune system–because in the world of the superbugs, you’re going to need it.