Scientists identify new superbug – Europe – Al Jazeera English

Scientists have warned that a new superbug identified in the United Kingdom could spread around the world after arriving from India.

Researchers said on Wednesday they had found a gene called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1, in patients in South Asia and in Britain.

NDM-1 makes bacteria highly resistant to almost all antibiotics, including the most powerful class called carbapenems, and experts say there are no new drugs on the horizon to tackle it.

In a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Wednesday, the researchers found that NDM-1 is becoming more common in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

But with increasing numbers of people embarking on so-called  ‘health tourism’ trips to India and Pakistan for cheaper treatment the superbug could quickly spread, the scientists warned.

“At a global level, this is a real concern,” Timothy Walsh, who led the study, said.

“Because of medical tourism and international travel in general, resistance to these types of bacteria has the potential to spread around the world very, very quickly. And there is nothing in the [drug development] pipeline to tackle it.”…

YouTube – How Dangerous Is The Superbug?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLj-Shtbm8&feature=related

A bacteria carrying a specialized gene has the potential to turn almost any other bacteria into an antibiotic-resistant bug.

YouTube – superbug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWztrCZA3c

YouTube – Deadly bacteria traced to India

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUhKztUYjs4&NR=1&feature=fvwp

It,s being called a superbug, a virus that is resistant to drugs, and is being transmitted through patients who’ve visited India for medical treatment. Britain has already advised its citizens against travelling to India for medical treatment. Aafreen Alam reports.