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Super Bacteria Resistant To Antibiotics Spreading Around The Globe

A new type of super bacteria resistant to all forms of antibiotics has been discovered, and it’s making its way around the globe, according to scientists. The bacteria, containing the MCR-1 gene, first showed up in China last November hospitalising 1,322 patients. It then moved to Denmark when a patient was diagnosed with an untreatable form of salmonella. Now the superbug is spreading to other parts of the globe, and scientists don’t yet know how to treat it. Myscienceacademy.org reports: The superbugs were also detected in Africa, and are believed to have traveled to Laos and Malaysia. Experts say they likely got to Britain via global travel and food imports. The bacteria have since made their way into England on 3 farms and in samples of human infections. The MCR-1 gene is “mobile DNA” that can be easily copied and transferred between different bacteria, making it easy for it to spread and diversify between bacterial populations, Scientific American explained in a December 19 article. The gene makes infections resistant to all polymyxin antibiotics, including colistic, which are the last line of defense when all other antibiotics have failed. The fear is that MCR-1 could transfer to other bacteria and turn [...]