Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Aggressive and resistant E coli bacteria strains increasingly a problem worldwide
#willpower
There 's nothing wrong with an Escherichia coli bacterium. Indeed , every man and every mammal has millions or even billions of E. coli bacteria in the intestines . They are necessary for the digestion of our food .
However problems can arise if the E coli bacteria gets in the wrong place. A well-known example is cystitis : in this case the ureter could be contaminated with an E. coli bacteria.
Also dangerous mutations arise . In Europe we still remember the outbreak of EHEC/STEC bacteria (O104) in 2011. Through hamburgers which are not heated enough, each year hundreds of people get sick or even killed by the E coli bacteria: the 0157 strain, found in cattle .
Increasingly doctors have to deal with E coli bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics . These are bacteria with so called " ESBL's ". ESBL's are enzymes that can break down antibiotics. That too is increasingly common : a bladder infection that will not go away because of a resistant E coli bacteria . Then you must be looking for a different type of antibiotic. As long as this is still possible.
ESBL's are now found in our food , not only in (chicken)meat but also in fruits and vegetables.
Lately we see more publications on new, aggressive and resistant E coli strains with ESBL's : the ST 131 and ST 405 strains.
Elderly are vulnerable to infections with these variants, especially elderly in nursing homes . But an outbreaks of ST 131 was also reported in newborn babies in an Italian hospital. These multiresistant and aggressive strains are now spread worldwide.
Time and again scientists argue for more and more focused measures, in hospitals, in nursing homes. A routine approach is not enough. Much more prevention efforts are necessary and an improved management of multidrug-resistant E coli bacteria.
The way we grow our food apparently is risky.
We sometimes discuss a possible pandemic, related to influenza, such as avian flu H5N1 or possibly H7N9.
Meanwhile, various multi-resistant bacteria are engaged in a global march . A pandemic is developing in full swing.
Association of Fluoroquinolone Resistance, Virulence Genes, and IncF Plasmids with Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 (ST131) and ST405 Clonal Groups.
Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 (ST131) Sub-clone H30 as an Emergent Multidrug-Resistant Pathogen Among US Veterans.
Outbreak of colonizations by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli sequence type 131 in a neonatal intensive care unit, Italy.
See also: The Beginning of the End of Antibiotics?
#willpower
There 's nothing wrong with an Escherichia coli bacterium. Indeed , every man and every mammal has millions or even billions of E. coli bacteria in the intestines . They are necessary for the digestion of our food .
However problems can arise if the E coli bacteria gets in the wrong place. A well-known example is cystitis : in this case the ureter could be contaminated with an E. coli bacteria.
Also dangerous mutations arise . In Europe we still remember the outbreak of EHEC/STEC bacteria (O104) in 2011. Through hamburgers which are not heated enough, each year hundreds of people get sick or even killed by the E coli bacteria: the 0157 strain, found in cattle .
Increasingly doctors have to deal with E coli bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics . These are bacteria with so called " ESBL's ". ESBL's are enzymes that can break down antibiotics. That too is increasingly common : a bladder infection that will not go away because of a resistant E coli bacteria . Then you must be looking for a different type of antibiotic. As long as this is still possible.
ESBL's are now found in our food , not only in (chicken)meat but also in fruits and vegetables.
Lately we see more publications on new, aggressive and resistant E coli strains with ESBL's : the ST 131 and ST 405 strains.
Elderly are vulnerable to infections with these variants, especially elderly in nursing homes . But an outbreaks of ST 131 was also reported in newborn babies in an Italian hospital. These multiresistant and aggressive strains are now spread worldwide.
Time and again scientists argue for more and more focused measures, in hospitals, in nursing homes. A routine approach is not enough. Much more prevention efforts are necessary and an improved management of multidrug-resistant E coli bacteria.
The way we grow our food apparently is risky.
We sometimes discuss a possible pandemic, related to influenza, such as avian flu H5N1 or possibly H7N9.
Meanwhile, various multi-resistant bacteria are engaged in a global march . A pandemic is developing in full swing.
Association of Fluoroquinolone Resistance, Virulence Genes, and IncF Plasmids with Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 (ST131) and ST405 Clonal Groups.
Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 (ST131) Sub-clone H30 as an Emergent Multidrug-Resistant Pathogen Among US Veterans.
Outbreak of colonizations by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli sequence type 131 in a neonatal intensive care unit, Italy.
See also: The Beginning of the End of Antibiotics?