Alarming Discovery: Highly Infectious E. Coli Strain Emerges Resistant to Powerful Antibiotics
February 1, 2024A newly identified mutation of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) has raised concerns, as it exhibits high infectivity and resistance to potent antibiotics, rendering some existing treatments ineffective. Described in a recent paper published in Nature Communications, the variant, named ‘B5/H24RxC,’ belongs to the ST410 carbapenem-resistant E. coli (CREC) strain and has been implicated in outbreaks at a children’s hospital in China.
Carbapenems, a class of antibiotics, are found to be ineffective against this new strain, making it more formidable than previous versions. The discovery points to a worrying trend where E. coli evolves to be both more antimicrobial resistant and more pathogenic, challenging the common belief that heightened antibiotic resistance may come at the expense of infection-causing capabilities.
Professor Alan McNally, Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham, expressed concern about this emerging threat and urged global surveillance labs to be vigilant. The research, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), underscores the need for collaborative efforts to address and mitigate the escalating challenge of antimicrobial resistance in public health.
The study analyzed samples from hospitals across 26 Chinese provinces between 2017 and 2021, examining the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli. The findings highlight the urgent need for proactive measures to tackle evolving antimicrobial resistance within clinically significant pathogens like E. coli, emphasizing the critical role of global collaboration in addressing this growing public health concern.
Reference:
Ba, X., Guo, Y., Moran, R. A., Doughty, E. L., Liu, B., Yao, L., … & Zhuo, C. (2024). Global emergence of a hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli ST410 clone. Nature Communications, 15(1), 494.
