Number of 'nightmare bacteria' infections on the rise in the US

US health officials are sounding the alarm about the rise of antibiotic-resistant 'nightmare bacteria'.

Illustration photo: AFP/VNA

A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the number of "nightmare bacteria" infections increased by nearly 70% between 2019 and 2023. Researchers believe that the cause of this increase is drug-resistant bacteria carrying the "NDM gene" (New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase).

Bacteria carrying the NDM gene were once considered “exotic,” and were only associated with a small number of patients, mostly outside the United States. Only carbapenem antibiotics could combat some of these “nightmare bacteria.” Now, however, the presence of bacteria carrying the NDM gene can render them completely ineffective.

Although the overall number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in the US remains low, they have increased at an alarming rate in recent years, researchers say.

“The rise of NDM-containing bacteria in the United States is a serious and concerning threat,” said researcher David Weiss at Emory University. The researchers looked at data from 29 states on carbapenem-resistant infections. They found that there were 4,341 carbapenem-resistant infections in those states in 2023, of which 1,831 were NDM-containing.

Bacteria carrying the NDM gene are not just a problem in the United States, but are also found in many other parts of the world , although their prevalence varies by region. In South Asia, they are more prevalent in India and Pakistan.

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