New Superbug - Could This Dwarf Swineflu problem?

dixiefly

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10925411?print=true

New 'superbug' found in UK hospitals
By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News

A new superbug that is resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics has entered UK hospitals, experts warn.
They say bacteria that make an enzyme called NDM-1 have travelled back with NHS patients who went abroad to countries like India and Pakistan for treatments such as cosmetic surgery.
Although there have only been about 50 cases identified in the UK so far, scientists fear it will go global.
Tight surveillance and new drugs are needed says Lancet Infectious Diseases.
NDM-1 can exist inside different bacteria, like E.coli, and it makes them resistant to one of the most powerful groups of antibiotics - carbapenems.
These are generally reserved for use in emergencies and to combat hard-to-treat infections caused by other multi-resistant bacteria.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
The fear would be that it gets into a strain of bacteria that is very good at being transmitted between patients”
End Quote Dr David Livermore Researcher from the HPA
• Q&A: NDM-1 superbugs
And experts fear NDM-1 could now jump to other strains of bacteria that are already resistant to many other antibiotics.
Ultimately, this could produce dangerous infections that would spread rapidly from person to person and be almost impossible to treat.
At least one of the NDM-1 infections the researchers analysed was resistant to all known antibiotics.
Similar infections have been seen in the US, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands and international researchers say that NDM-1 could become a major global health problem.
Infections have already been passed from patient to patient in UK hospitals.

The way to stop NDM-1, say researchers, is to rapidly identify and isolate any hospital patients who are infected.
Normal infection control measures, such as disinfecting hospital equipment and doctors and nurses washing their hands with antibacterial soap, can stop the spread.
And currently, most of the bacteria carrying NDM-1 have been treatable using a combination of different antibiotics.
But the potential of NDM-1 to become endemic worldwide is "clear and frightening", say the researchers in their Lancet paper.
National alert
The research was carried out by experts at Cardiff University, the Health Protection Agency and international colleagues.
Cannot play media.You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version
Dr David Livermore, one of the researchers and who works for the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA), said: "There have been a number of small clusters within the UK, but far and away the greater number of cases appear to be associated with travel and hospital treatment in the Indian subcontinent.
"This type of resistance has become quite widespread there.
"The fear would be that it gets into a strain of bacteria that is very good at being transmitted between patients."
He said the threat was a serious global public health problem as there are few suitable new antibiotics in development and none that are effective against NDM-1.
The Department of Health has already put out an alert on the issue, he said.
"We issue these alerts very sparingly when we see new and disturbing resistance."
Travel history
The National Resistance Alert came in 2009 after the HPA noted an increasing number of cases - some fatal - emerging in the UK.
The Lancet study looked back at some of the NDM-1 cases referred to the HPA up to 2009 from hospitals scattered across the UK.
E. coli can cause urinary tract infections and blood poisoning
At least 17 of the 37 patients they studied had a history of travelling to India or Pakistan within the past year, and 14 of them had been admitted to a hospital in these countries - many for cosmetic surgery.
For some of the patients the infection was mild, while others were seriously ill, and some with blood poisoning.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are working with the HPA on this issue.
"Hospitals need to ensure they continue to provide good infection control to prevent any spread, consider whether patients have recently been treated abroad and send samples to HPA for testing.
"So far there has only been a small number of cases in UK hospital patients. The HPA is continuing to monitor the situation and we are investigating ways of encouraging the development of new antibiotics with our European colleagues."
The Welsh Assembly Government said it would be "fully considering" the report.
"The NHS in Wales is used to dealing with multi-resistant bacteria using standard microbiological approaches, and would deal with any new bacteria in a similar way," said a spokesperson.
Have you been affected by a superbug? Send us your comments using the form below

Wazdakka

Yay \:)/

The next media hyped, storm in a teacup is here!

WindSock

Just in time for the piles of Tamiflu to be bought up and left in storeage. Gonna need somethin else now I guess...

Terry

We're all doomed. The Mayans were right.

ejmaztec

Those feckers are determined to find something to kill half the world's population. They failed with the previous pandemics that never happened, but they'll get it right eventually.:(

PandyAndy

/Puts the kettle on boil.

Ah we'll be grand, who wants a cuppa.

CreepingDeath

ejmaztec wrote: »

Those feckers are determined to find something to kill half the world's population.

Only half ?
I heard that they needed to reduce the population by 80%.

Sure we're being gradually sterilized by chemicals in food, rubber stamped by the FDA and others.

ejmaztec

PandyAndy wrote: »

/Puts the kettle on boil.

Ah we'll be grand, who wants a cuppa.

Typhus Tea?:eek:

admiralofthefleet

no doubt the hype will dwarf swine flu

Terry

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Only half ?
I heard that they needed to reduce the population by 80%.

Sure we're being gradually sterilized by chemicals in food, rubber stamped by the FDA and others.

Just get rid of China, India, the U.S., Mexico and North Africa and we'll be grand.

derfderf

It even affects flash players? We're all fooked.

I think we should just let these things run their course.. We've overbred like fuk for decades anyway.

prinz

The new superbug isn't as shocking as the fact that Run_to_da_hills didn't get to break the news first. Along with some connection to CCTV/RFID etc etc.

mathie

Dwarf Swineflu?

Minstrel27

I was wondering when the next step in controlling the population would be here.

Terry

derfderf wrote: »

It even affects flash players? We're all fooked.

Apple customers will be fine.

dixiefly

Scaremongering or not it would certainly put me off getting plastic surgery done in India or Pakistan....not that I would have gone there for any type of surgery anyway.

funk-you

Pfft, I had swine flu. Kicked it's Mexican ass. I'll smack the fat off this next one too.

-Funk

Sanjuro

Ah, an all new AIDS, salmonella in eggs, road-rage, avian flu, swine flu, MRSA, terrorism, paedophile exaggeration. The news networks must be delighted.

Leeg17

Achoo!

Essien

Poor Dwarves

W.Shakes-Beer

oh yeah nothing worse than the pedococcus virus.

Cookie_Monster

prinz wrote: »

The new superbug isn't as shocking as the fact that Run_to_da_hills didn't get to break the news first. Along with some connection to CCTV/RFID etc etc.

ROFL
:D:D

this disease is due to chickens and pigs mating, creating a freaky offspring infected with both avian and swine fly, or swavian flu. Pigs will fly! We're all fooked

Lando Griffin

WindSock wrote: »

Just in time for the piles of Tamiflu to be bought up and left in storeage. Gonna need somethin else now I guess...

Feck the Tamiflu, I'm taking those Iodine tablets that are stuck in my Emergency cupboard.

fontanalis

When is SARS going to kill us all again?

IvyTheTerrible

The same people who are complaining about "hype" are the very ones that would be bitching if we did nothing.

fontanalis

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

The same people who are complaining about "hype" are the very ones that would be bitching if we did nothing.

Very true, different strains of diseases could potentially be big issues but let a bunch on uninformed hacks who have no Big Brother news to write about then it decends into lunacy.

pickarooney

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

The same people who are complaining about "hype" are the very ones that would be bitching if we did nothing.

Le Figaro and Libération?

Biggins

fontanalis wrote: »

When is SARS going to kill us all again?

As soon as the book about it falls off a shelf and hits us on the noggin.

eightyfish

fontanalis wrote: »

When is SARS going to kill us all again?

SARS killed 774 people.

Swine Flu killed 16,000.

Not newsworthy?

scientific1982

NDM-1 is a gene found in plasmid DNA. Plasmids are extra-chromosomal DNA molecules that can be passed between bacterial cells, thereby transfering any resistence. I wouldnt worry too much because biotech is advancing very rapidly.

genericguy

i really don't give a fcuk at this stage - i just thank myself every day for spending years studying science, which means that i don't have to panic with the masses about shyte like this because i know better. and if i don't know, i read up until i do.

fontanalis

eightyfish wrote: »

SARS killed 774 people.

Swine Flu killed 16,000.

Not newsworthy?

I'd be interested in knowing how many people died of "regular' diseases in the region where the deaths from SARs were (I didn't mention the swine flu as alot of people died form it liek you mentioned).
Like I said outbreaks of various diseases have the potential (key word) to be tragic but sensationalist reporting leads to sceptisism. Then again in relation to swine flu imagine what the death rate may have been if there was no vaccines (something else people start moaning about).

eightyfish

fontanalis wrote: »

sensationalist reporting leads to sceptisism.

Agreed.

fontanalis wrote: »

Then again in relation to swine flu imagine what the death rate may have been if there was no vaccines

Good point not often made.

genericguy

scientific1982 wrote: »

NDM-1 is a gene found in plasmid DNA. Plasmids are extra-chromosomal DNA molecules that can be passed between bacterial cells, thereby transfering any resistence.

wtf has that got to do with anything? people don't care about what plasmids are. why did you think that was in any way relevant?

eightyfish

genericguy wrote: »

people don't care about what plasmids are.

133 people do.

Fromvert

eightyfish wrote: »

SARS killed 774 people.

Swine Flu killed 16,000.

Not newsworthy?

Well hundreds of thousands die every year from the flu, I don't see that on the news every day.

More over hyped bull ****.

genericguy

eightyfish wrote: »

Some people do.

nicely done sir!

that post was shít in fairness though:

"relax everyone, the metallo-lactamase in question is plasmid encoded, rather than within the chromosomal DNA, everything will be fine".

everything will be fine, but we could do without pseudo-intellectualism like that to be fair.

genericguy

eightyfish wrote: »

133 people do.

actually i have to say, that's the best, most unexpected retort i've ever received. give yourself a raise eightyfish, and take the rest of the week off. brilliant.

Cookie_Monster

eightyfish wrote: »

SARS killed 774 people.

Swine Flu killed 16,000.

Not newsworthy?

no, frankly

shampon

fontanalis wrote: »

I'd be interested in knowing how many people died of "regular' diseases in the region where the deaths from SARs were (I didn't mention the swine flu as alot of people died form it liek you mentioned).
Like I said outbreaks of various diseases have the potential (key word) to be tragic but sensationalist reporting leads to sceptisism. Then again in relation to swine flu imagine what the death rate may have been if there was no vaccines (something else people start moaning about).

Approx 36,000 deaths in America because of the common flu. Swine flu killed 16'000 are you having a laugh.

eightyfish

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

no, frankly

Do the media hype it up to be a bigger health threat than it is in order to sell more newspapers? Yes.

Is it newsworthy if a bacteria emerges that is resistant to antibiotics, or a new form of flu spreads that kills much younger people than regular flu? Absolutely it is.

I just with the newspapers would take a more scientific approach. Unfortunately science is boring and scare stories are more interesting.

PeterIanStaker

another hype story to take our minds off the recession.

Cookie_Monster

eightyfish wrote: »

Is it newsworthy if a bacteria emerges that is resistant to antibiotics, or a new form of flu spreads that kills much younger people than regular flu? Absolutely it is.

I just with the newspapers would take a more scientific approach. Unfortunately science is boring and scare stories are more interesting.

how many people does normal flu kill a year, or hundreds of other diseases, orders of magnitude higher than either of those two yet nothing is ever in the news about them because its not newsworthy, its just a fact of life. they are and were very small diseases who killed tiny numbers of people and in reality were not dangerous in the least.

El_Dangeroso

REMAIN INDOORS!!

Numina

eightyfish wrote: »

SARS killed 774 people.

Swine Flu killed 16,000.

Not newsworthy?

You're right, it's not news worthy at all.

Here's some facts on the standard Flu.

"Influenza epidemics occur yearly during autumn and winter in temperate regions. Illnesses result in hospitalizations and deaths mainly among high-risk groups (the very young, elderly or chronically ill). Worldwide, these annual epidemics result in about three to five million cases of severe illness, and about 250 000 to 500 000 deaths."

Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs211/en/

storm2811

Oh well,better than the ebola virus is all I can say.

genericguy

lads, just wait till HIV becomes airborne, then you'll really have something to cry about.

starbelgrade

Swine flu didn't exist... do you know why? There's no such thing as pigs. And if you think that's a conspiracy theory - let me ask you this... have you ever seen a pig - a real live one in the flesh?

genericguy

starbelgrade wrote: »

have you ever seen a pig - a real live one in the flesh?

yep. girlfriend's from a farming background, they got many animals up in them hills. but swine flu was a great pile of shyte though - it existed, but wasn't very widespread at all.

Dunjohn

Man, it's been a few months since we've had an epidemic. How time flies. Bring it on!