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A drug-resistant bacterium that causes severe infections has been spreading globally, and it's now in at least 16 countries, the WHO warns.
Dangerous new strains of a "hypervirulent" superbug have been found in 16 countries, including the United States, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a new report.
The superbug, known as hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp), is a type of drug-resistant bacteria that can cause rapidly progressing, deadly infections, even in people with healthy immune systems.
In general, K. pneumoniae can be found in the environment — for example, in soil and water — as well as in the upper throat and gastrointestinal tract of various animals, including humans. The classic version of the germ is a big problem in health care settings, where it can contaminate medical equipment and cause opportunistic infections, especially in people with weak immune systems. It's known to cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and the nervous-system infection meningitis.
At baseline, the bacteria are inherently resistant to the antibiotic ampicillin, and in recent years, they've developed resistance to more and more drugs.
www.livescience.com
Dangerous new strains of a "hypervirulent" superbug have been found in 16 countries, including the United States, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a new report.
The superbug, known as hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp), is a type of drug-resistant bacteria that can cause rapidly progressing, deadly infections, even in people with healthy immune systems.
In general, K. pneumoniae can be found in the environment — for example, in soil and water — as well as in the upper throat and gastrointestinal tract of various animals, including humans. The classic version of the germ is a big problem in health care settings, where it can contaminate medical equipment and cause opportunistic infections, especially in people with weak immune systems. It's known to cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and the nervous-system infection meningitis.
At baseline, the bacteria are inherently resistant to the antibiotic ampicillin, and in recent years, they've developed resistance to more and more drugs.
Dangerous strains of 'hypervirulent' superbug detected in US and 15 other countries
A drug-resistant bacterium that causes severe infections has been spreading globally, and it's now in at least 16 countries, the WHO warns.
