Superbug

Referred to by some medical professionals as one of the world's most pressing public health challenges, a superbug is an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria, the prevalence of which is on the rise throughout the world.http://www.cdcfoundation.org/healththreats/AntibioticResistance.aspx Caused by the misuse and overuse of basic antibiotics, superbugs require higher and higher levels of drugs to be effectively treated.http://www.cdcfoundation.org/healththreats/AntibioticResistance.aspx

More prevalent in facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes but still occurring outside them, a superbug can be spread by person to person contact or by contact with contaminated items.http://www.cdcfoundation.org/healththreats/AntibioticResistance.aspx If left untreated a superbug can result in severe consequences and even death.

NDM-1: The New Superbug?

British researchers 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."

NDM-1, which reportedly affects up to 3% of patients in India has been reported in 50 cases in the UK, mostly among people who had traveled to India, with a large number having received medical treatment while there, though some cases involved people who had been treated in Greece and Turkey. 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 appears to be resistant to the last line of antibiotics, called carbapenems and has resulted in the deaths of two of the British cases and the need for long term, isolated treatment in the others. http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/news-topics/public-health/ndm-1-risk-underlines-need-for-good-infection-control/5018183.article

This type of resistant bacteria can cause fatal urinary tract infections and pneumonia.http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/news-topics/public-health/ndm-1-risk-underlines-need-for-good-infection-control/5018183.article Dr. David Livermore, of the Lancet, has stated that international travel could cause the disease to spread even farther and is urging hospitals to shore up infection control measures to protect patients from this bacteria.http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/news-topics/public-health/ndm-1-risk-underlines-need-for-good-infection-control/5018183.article

MRSA

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, an antibiotic resistant form of staph infection, is commonly referred to as a superbug.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735 Affecting nearly 100,000 people in 2007 alone, MRSA can be contract following invasive medical procedures or from person to person contact within a community.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735

Because of its antibiotic resistance, MRSA can spread to and cause complications in the blood, heart, bones, joints, and lungs.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735/DSECTION=complications Higher level antibiotics are needed to treat MRSA infections, though some smaller infections in the form of boils or small abscesses may be treated without drugs.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

C-diff

C-diff or Clostridium Difficile is another antibiotic resistant superbug. The germ causes intestinal symptoms including colitis and diarrhea.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736 The germ has become resistant to some antibiotics and affects tens of thousands of people each year.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736

Complications of C-diff can include dehydration, bowel perforation, kidney failure, ruptured colon, and death.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736/DSECTION=complications Treatment measures include terminating use of the current antibiotic, moving to a higher level antibiotic, and taking probiotics to support the growth of protective intestinal flora.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs Extreme cases may require surgery, and some patients will suffer recurrent infections for life.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs