http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0T739620151118You guys might remember the infected colonoscopy scopes that left them in critical condition and 3 (going from memory) died from, the infection that killed 10+ in a London hospital a short time after that. Both those were due to the ndm1 plasmid that is highly transmissible among gram negative specimens. In short it confers resistance to the vast majority of antibiotics currently on the market (generation 5 cephalosporins having VERY modest success). We worry about the over prescription of antibiotics in America and the repercussions they might have. While this is well and true, we sometimes forget what the rest of the world is doing. Blame of how ndm1 first came on to the scene is still contested but it is consensus that it came from either India or England where antibiotic prescriptions are under far less scrutiny. The Swedish were the first to publish it and it was an Indian patient so they named it ndm1 (New Delhi metalloprotease 1). Regardless of where it came from, it's here now. As far as I'm aware this is the first news I have heard about bacteria harboring this plasmid asymtompatically colonizing a person's flora.
Imo this issue is a very threatening global issue that gets modest press. In short if you become infected with this (more than a carrier state) then there is statistically a 92% chance you will die from it. It's an interesting issue because there isn't a way a single country can protect against it. Like climate change it truly is a global issue. I'll post a figure on when the plasmid first was identified, how it was spread, and how many paitients died per year, but it has increased exponentially over the past 5 years. It is an issue we will hear about more as time passes. I'm uncertain as to how effective the who is, but if they are as ineffective as the UN this will be a huge problem.
This was on tv today.... this is very scary and bad