Gram-negative, also known as NDM-1, is a gene which attaches itself to existing bacteria such as e-coli to create new strains of bacteria resistant to even the most powerful of antibiotics.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100811/wl_uk_afp/healthdiseasebacteriaantibioticstravelindiapakistanResearchers believe the gram-negative bacteria originated in India, where the bacteria currently affects 1-3% of all medical patients.http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/news-topics/public-health/ndm-1-risk-underlines-need-for-good-infection-control/5018183.article NDM-1 stands for New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase.http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/news-topics/public-health/ndm-1-risk-underlines-need-for-good-infection-control/5018183.article

Transmitted via person to person contact, food preparation, and invasive medical procedures, the gram-negative bacteria appears to be spreading.http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/what-is-the-ndm-1-superbug-drug-resistant-health-threat-explain/19589247 The superbug has been found in 50 patients in the UK, many of whom had traveled to India for medical procedures.http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/news-topics/public-health/ndm-1-risk-underlines-need-for-good-infection-control/5018183.article Public health officials believe that international air travel and the rise in popularity of “medical tourism,” or travel to India and other such countries for inexpensive medical and plastic surgery procedures will hasten the spread of the bacteria throughout the world.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100811/wl_uk_afp/healthdiseasebacteriaantibioticstravelindiapakistan

British researchers face recently stated that a newly-identified gene mutation may be responsible for a new class of drug-resistant superbugs. According to ABC News, researchers say a group of plastic surgery patients who traveled from India or Pakistan back to Great Britain returned carrying bacteria which has an antibiotic-resistant "superbug gene" known as NDM-1. NDM-1 stands for New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase. AFP quotes researchers as saying that a "new class of superbugs…could spread worldwide." The New York Times quotes experts calling the gene mutation "worrying" and "ominous."

Because gram-negative bacterial strains are resistant to even the toughest antibiotics, called carbapenems, treatment options are extremely limited.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100811/wl_uk_afp/healthdiseasebacteriaantibioticstravelindiapakistan Carbapenem antibiotics are usually reserved for cases in which infections have not responded to multiple antibiotics, and are considered a measure of last resort.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100811/wl_uk_afp/healthdiseasebacteriaantibioticstravelindiapakistan

Some drug manufacturers are working on solutions to the problem. Options include the creation of a new drug or the improvement of an existing medication; however, both options are difficult and could take years to complete.http://www.10news.com/news/24627406/detail.html There are two drugs currently on the market which may be effective against carbapenem resistant bacteria: Tygacil, a drug made by Pfizer, and an older antibiotic called colistin.http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67A0YU20100811 However, colistin carries side effects which could prove toxic.http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67A0YU20100811

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