Antibiotics against bacterial infections in human diseases such major weapons. Recently, however, such weapons have been a tremendous challenge. Medical magazine “Lancet” published a paper 11 warned that researchers have discovered a “super bacteria“, which allows bacteria to become extremely powerful, against almost all antibiotics. Currently, this “superbug” has been introduced in England from South Asia, and is likely to spread to the world.

 A kind of super enzyme

The study was funded by Cardiff University, UK Health Protection Agency and the University of Madras, India joint medical researchers. The researchers said they had received in India in some surgical patients to find a special kind of bacterium that contains an enzyme that can exist in different bacteria such as E. coli DNA structure of a mitochondria, and these Bacteria become powerful, almost all of the antibiotics have resilience.

Last year, researchers at Cardiff University, Timothy Walsh for the first time in a Swedish patient infected with E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae confirmed the existence of this enzyme, and the name for the NDM-1.

Cases have been fatal

The researchers found that in 2009 the British had already seen NDM-1 infection increases, including some fatal cases. Participate in the study of the UK Health Protection Agency expert, David Livermore, said most of the NDM-1 infections and has been traveling to India and other South Asian countries, or to accept the treatment of people about.

The researchers studied 37 patients in the UK, at least 17 people had been over the past 1 year went to the India or Pakistan, they are at least 14 people in the two countries had received treatment, including kidney transplants, bone marrow transplant surgery, dialysis, production, burn treatment or cosmetic surgery. However, there are 10 cases of infection in the United Kingdom appears not to accept any overseas treatment of patients.

The current study found that E. coli carrying NDM-1 infection, many patients will lead to urinary tract infections and blood poisoning. Part of the disease infected more relaxed, but there are also some more serious. In NDM-1 have been found in bacterial infections, at least one case has already resistant to all known antibiotics.

British government issued a warning

Similar NDM-1 infection also appeared in the United States, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. Although in the UK found only about 50 cases, but scientists fear it will continue to spread. Walsh said it can not determine the NDM-1 spread in the United Kingdom in the end to what degree. UK Department of Health has issued a warning.

“Because of frequent international air travel, globalization and the rise of South Asian countries, medical tourism, NDM-1 now have the opportunity to spread rapidly to every corner of the world.” Walsh warned.

■ term

Antibiotic

Antibiotics are microbial metabolites or synthetic analogs, can inhibit microbial growth and survival, but the host does not produce serious side effects.

Antibiotics can basically be divided into two categories, one for the inhibition of pathogen growth, the second for the direct killing of pathogens. Can be used to treat most bacterial infectious diseases; antibiotics is the main source of fermentation, or through chemical synthesis and semi-synthesis obtained.

Discovery and application of antibiotics is a human revolution, it became the death struggle with a big weapon, because human death is the biggest killer of bacteria.