Bacteria resistant to antibiotic found

Washington, March 6: Scientists have detected “hetero-resistance” to colistin, a last- resort antibiotic, in Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacterium that causes blood, soft tissue and urinary tract infections.

Researchers from Emory University School of Medicine in the US had observed hetero-resistance to colistin in other bacteria, called Enterobacter, previously.

Carbapenem- resistant Enter o bacteria ce ae ( CRE), which include Klebsiella, were listed as one of the top three urgent antibiotic resistant threats in 2013 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Various types of Klebsiella are estimated to be responsible for 10 per cent of infections acquired.

“This is concerning because Klebsiella is a more common cause of infection than Enterobacter, and these isolates were carbapenem-resistant, which means that they might actually be treated with colistin,” said David Weiss, professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

“To our knowledge, this type of hetero-resistant Klebsiella has not been observed in the US before,” said Weiss.

The bacterial isolates came from urine samples from two patients in Atlanta- area hospitals, researchers said.

H et er ore si stance means that resistance to particular antibiotics is harder to monitor, they said.