2017 Global Infectious Diseases Threats to the United States

The group of researchers who initially identified the mcr-1 gene in China have followed up with a study of clinical isolates from two provinces finding the gene is spreading across other species of bacteria.  The mcr-1 gene can be carried on a plasmid that facilitates spread from E. coli to Klebsiella sp. for example.  Emphasizing that while not a prevalent incidence yet, the threat is real for continued spread of this pan-resistance gene that allows bacteria to resist the actions of colistin, a last resort antibiotic. Click here.

Below are the links to the actual studies.

Jan 27 Lancet Infect Dis MCR-1 study #1

Jan 27 Lancet Infect Dis MCR-1 study #2