Feed: Slashdot
Feed Link: https://slashdot.org/
---

Title: Resistant Bacteria Are Advancing Faster Than Antibiotics

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/10/22/1...

The proliferation of difficult-to-treat bacterial diseases represents a
growing threat, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global
Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report. Wired: The report reveals that,
between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance increased by more than 40
percent in monitored pathogen-drug combinations, with an average annual
increase of 5-15 percent. According to data reported by more than 100
countries to WHO's Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance
System (GLASS), one in six laboratory-confirmed bacteria in 2023 proved
resistant to antibiotic treatment, all related to various common diseases
globally. For the first time, this edition of the report includes prevalence
estimates of resistance to 22 antibiotics used to treat urinary tract,
gastrointestinal, bloodstream, and gonorrheal conditions. The analysis
focused on eight common pathogens: Acinetobacter spp, Escherichia coli,
Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, non-typhoidal Salmonella spp,
Shigella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The
results show that resistant gram-negative bacteria pose the greatest threat.
Of particular note are Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which are
associated with bloodstream infections that can lead to sepsis, organ
failure, and death. "More than 40 percent of E. coli and more than 55 percent
of K. pneumoniae strains worldwide are now resistant to third-generation
cephalosporins, the first-choice treatment for these types of infections,"
the report warns.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

---
VRSS v2.1.180528