27.05.2016
The recently discovered colistin resistance gene mcr-1 has reached the United States, report researchers in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The plasmid-borne gene confers resistance to the antibiotic colistin, a last-resort drug for difficult-to-treat carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The mcr-1 gene was found in a strain of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli from a 49-year-old woman in Pennsylvania with a urinary tract infection. Is it the final puzzle piece that could lead to bacteria resistant to all antibiotics?
See also: MCR-1 in China