MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“NEW DELHI: NDM-1, the enzyme associated with extensive antibiotic resistance that was found in India last year, has jumped to new bacteria strains and infected a Canadian, who had no travel history to India.

For the first time, scientists in Canada have reported local acquisition of an organism producing NDM-1 in Ontario, Canada. NDM-1 has been found in bacterial species other than E coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The findings are in tune with a TOI report a few weeks ago that had pointed out about NDM-1 gene, which has been jumping between various species of bacteria at a ‘superfast speed.’

British scientists from the Cardiff University, who first reported on the existence of NDM-1, told TOI that when it was first detected in 2006, the bacteria were found only in E Coli.

‘We have found NDM-1 gene in more than 20 different species of bacteria. NDM-1 can move at unprecedented speed, making more and more species of bacteria drug resistant,’ said Dr Mark Toleman told TOI.” Read more.

By Stephen Adams – “The new strain with high resistance to antibiotics was found by accident by a team from Cambridge University and has already infected humans.

Dr Mark Holmes said dairy farmers under ‘relentless financial pressure’ from supermarkets were forced to use powerful antibiotics which could well have led to the emergence of resistant bacteria.

He and a team of fellow Cambridge University scientists have identified this new strain, which has been found in milk, cows and humans.

In a handful of cases humans have become seriously ill, although it is not known if anyone has died of it.

At the moment the scientists estimate there are probably less than 100 cases which is a small fraction of the total number of MRSA cases.

However, they appear to be growing rapidly.” Read more.

By MARIA CHENG and NATALIYA VASILYEVA – “LONDON (AP) – The World Health Organization said Thursday that the E. coli bacteria responsible for a deadly outbreak that has left 18 dead and sickened hundreds in Europe is a new strain that has never been seen before.

Preliminary genetic sequencing suggests the strain is a mutant form of two different E. coli bacteria, with aggressive genes that could explain why the Europe-wide outbreak appears to be so massive and dangerous, the agency said.

Hilde Kruse, a food safety expert at the WHO, told The Associated Press that ‘this is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before.’

She added that the new strain has ‘various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing’ than the hundreds of E. coli strains that people naturally carry in their intestines.

So far, the mutant E. coli strain has sickened more than 1,500 people, including 470 who have developed a rare kidney failure complication, and killed 18, including one overnight in Germany, the country hit hardest by the outbreak.” Read more.

German researchers: Killer germ very antibiotic resistant – “A German hospital treating patients felled by a mysterious killer bacteria said Thursday that it appears to be particularly resistant to antibiotics after its researchers sequenced the strain’s genome.” Read more.

New strain is toxic, attacks kidneys – “The WHO said it had also been notified of cases in Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain. Almost all the cases are in people who had recently visited Germany. Many patients have been hospitalised, the WHO said, with several needing intensive care, including dialysis due to kidney complications.” Read more.

Can cause serious liver damage – “Three of those infected were British nationals who had recently travelled to Germany and four were German nationals, the Health Protection Agency said in a statement. Of those cases three were full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) — a disease that causes can serious liver damage — and the other four suffered bloody bloody diarrhoea, it said.” Read more.

Three suspected cases of mystery e-coli in US – “WASHINGTON (AFP) – Health officials said Thursday three people in the United States are suspected to have fallen ill from e-coli bacteria after traveling to Germany where the mystery outbreak has killed 17… A total of 18 people in Europe have died from the outbreak, all but one of them in Germany.” Read more.

German cucumber E.coli outbreak ‘may last months’ – “The head of the German public health body tackling a deadly E.coli outbreak says it may be months before it stops. Reinhard Burger, president of the Robert Koch Institute, told the BBC ‘we may never know’ the infections’ source.” Read more.