An urgent warning has been issued as cases of drug-resistant "nightmare bacteria" continue to rise across the USA.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed in a new report that cases have surged nearly 70 percent between 2019 and 2023.
The rise in these infections, particularly those driven by the NDM (New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase) gene, is a growing public health threat.
A Steep Increase in Infections
The report highlights the alarming boost in diseases caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, specifically those carrying the NDM gene.
Once considered rare, these bacteria were primarily linked to patients who had received medical care overseas, AP News reported.
However, in recent years, the number of US cases has jumped more than fivefold.
The infections are difficult to treat, with only two antibiotics effective against them, both expensive and administered via intravenous infusion (IV).
"The rise of NDMs in the U.S. is a grave danger and very worrisome," said David Weiss, an infectious diseases researcher at Emory University.
He and other experts are concerned that many people may be unrecognized carriers of the bacteria, leading to potential community spread.
Misuse of Antibiotics Driving the Crisis
Researchers revealed that the increase in these drug-resistant infections is largely attributed to the misuse of antibiotics.
According to The Independent, unfinished or unnecessary prescriptions that fail to eradicate the bacteria make the germs stronger and more resistant over time.
This is part of a wider issue known as antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria and fungi evolve to resist the drugs designed to kill them.
Dr. Maroya Walters, one of the report's authors, emphasized that infections long considered routine and easy to treat, like urinary tract infections, could become chronic problems.
The Scope of the Problem
The CDC's study, which drew data from 29 states that conduct proper testing and reporting of carbapenem-resistant bacteria, found 4,341 cases of such infections in 2023. Of these, 1,831 were the NDM variety.
The rate of carbapenem-resistant infections rose from just under 2 per 100,000 people in 2019 to more than 3 per 100,000 in 2023, a 69 percent increase.
More notably, the rate of NDM cases skyrocketed by 460 percent, from approximately 0.25 per 100,000 to about 1.35 per 100,000.
However, experts caution that these figures likely underestimate the true scope of the issue, as many states, including highly populous ones like California, Florida, New York, and Texas, do not fully report or test for these infections.
Dr. Jason Burnham, a researcher not involved in the study, stated that the rise in antibiotic use during the COVID-19 pandemic could be contributing to the increase in drug-resistant bacteria.
"We know that there was a huge surge in antibiotic use during the pandemic, so this likely is reflected in increasing drug resistance," he said.
The rise of "nightmare bacteria" is worrying, not only for hospitals but for public health across the country. As the numbers grow, doctors and health officials are urging for more thorough testing.