A new superbug resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics has travelled back to the UK in patients who underwent surgery in India and Pakistan, experts warn. According to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the multi-drug resistant bacteria has been tracked in patients returning to the UK after recieving cosmetic surgery, cancer treatment and transplants in Asia.
The NDM-1- (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1) making bacteria was found attached to strains such as Klebsiella pneumonia and E-Coli, making them highly resistant to nearly all antibiotics, even carbapenems -- the most powerful class of antibiotics.
"The fear would be that it gets into a strain of bacteria that is very good at being transmitted between patients," said David Livermore director of antibiotic resistance monitoring at the UK Health Protection Agency and a study co-author.
He also warned that NDM-1 may also attach to antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, making them harder to eliminate through conventional antibiotic treatment.
While only 50 cases have been diagnosed with the condition in the UK, officials fear it may spread worldwide as similar cases have been reported in the US, Canada, Australia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Netherlands.
Patient-to-patient transmission has been spotted in UK hospitals, raising fears of the rapid spread of the bacteria that would make the condition almost impossible to treat.
Scientists believe close international monitoring and surveillance as well as new drugs are needed to fight the disease and preventing it from becoming a global health concern.