Officials Confirm LA Patient Was Infected With Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
When the first colistin-resistant superbug was reported last year, Dr. Tom Frieden, then-director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that “it is the end of the road for antibiotics unless we act urgently.”
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Patient Was Infected With Drug-Resistant E. Coli
Scientists were alarmed last year when they found that a woman in Pennsylvania had been infected with bacteria that was resistant to colistin, an antibiotic that is considered the last line of defense against particularly nasty illnesses. It was a scary reminder that bacteria are increasingly able to survive antibiotics, making some infections extremely difficult or even impossible to treat. Now California is on a list of six states where patients have been infected with bacteria that contains a gene known as mcr-1, which makes it resistant to colistin. (Karlamangla, 1/31)
KPCC:
Bacteria Resistant To Last-Resort Antibiotics Identified In LA County
A drug-resistant E. coli bacteria has been identified in a Los Angeles County resident, according to the county Department of Public Health. It's the first time that bacteria containing a specific gene, known as mcr-1, has been reported in the state. The patient is an older person who likely contracted the organism during international travel, according to the health department. It said there is no evidence the organism has spread within local hospitals or clinics, but declined to reveal further details about the case. (Plevin, 1/31)