Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

New Superbug Stalks Hospitals

Thousands killed by drug-resistant pathogen

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 18, 2008 7:53 AM CST

(Newser) – A deadly new superbug is stalking the world's hospitals, health experts warned today. The pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is a burgeoning threat and proving extremely difficult to control, with a third of outbreaks resistant to front-line antibiotics, according to a study in the Lancet. Of 24,000 US cases in a year, nearly 34% of infected hospital patients died. The figure rose to 43% among patients in intensive care, according to AFP.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (3)]

Slow poison, slow cure (©Unhindered by Talent)

A. baumannii is proving extremely difficult to cure and is killing thousands each year. (©mynameisharsha)

An Indonesian nurse puts a mask on a mock patient at a hospital in Jembrana, Indonesia Friday, April, 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

A nurse wears a face mask in a hallway of a hospital January 13, 2004 in Guangzhou, China. (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Acinetobacter Baumannii: Special Report Part 1: Mysterious killer germ comes home with troops (stegonews)

Scrub TV: Acinetobacter Baumannii: Special Report Part 2 (stegonews)

Scrub TV: Acinetobacter Baumannii: Special Report Part 1 (stegonews)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Cow Superbug Jumping to Humans

Scary new form of MRSA found in dairy herds

(NEWSER) - A new strain of the drug-resistant "superbug" MRSA has been found in British cows, and it appears to be spreading to people. The strain, identified in cows' milk by researchers studying udder infections, is genetically very different from the dozens of other strains of superbug identified, reports the BBC . Pasteurization kills the bug so milk drinkers shouldn't worry, the researchers say, but farm workers could be at risk of becoming carriers of the infection and could conceivably pass it on to others. More»

Scientists Slay Superbugs... With Light

Wavelengths cause chemical reaction, researchers find

(NEWSER) - Scientists have shed light on a new way to kill hospital superbugs like MRSA: literally shed light on them. A set of wavelengths called HINS-light acts by stimulating molecules in the bacteria, causing them to create chemicals that kill the germs. In trials, the process appears far more effective than “cleaning and disinfection,” the Daily Mail reports. More»

New Way to Fight E. Coli: Cockroach Brains

Pests could be valuable new source of antibiotics

(NEWSER) - Scientists believe they've finally found a use for cockroaches. The brains and nervous systems of cockroaches and locusts hold molecules that can kill off up to 90% of MRSA and E. Coli bacteria without damaging human tissue, Bloomberg reports. Researchers believe the insects could be key to developing next-generation antibiotics to deal with emerging drug-resistant "superbugs" like Acinetobacter. More»

'Miracle' Era of Antibiotics Is Ending

Modern medicine can't fight off superbugs for long

(NEWSER) - Good news: The superbug MRSA seems to be under control. Bad news: A new one called NDM-1 is on the loose . Get used to it, warns Sarah Boseley in the Guardian . "The era of antibiotics is coming to a close," she writes. These "miracle medicines" can't fight off ever-evolving bacteria for long—figure another 10 years under a best-case scenario. "The post-antibiotic apocalypse is within sight." More»

UK Sees New Superbug, Blames Medical Tourism in India

It's traced to cheap cosmetic surgeries

(NEWSER) - A new superbug has emerged in UK hospitals, probably brought back to the country by people who traveled to India or Pakistan for cosmetic surgery, the BBC reports. About 50 cases have been cataloged in the UK, but researchers fear the newly christened NDM-1 (named after New Delhi, notes the Times of India , which quotes Indian officials not at all happy about it) could evolve into a global heath problem. Scattered cases have been reported in the US, Canada, and Australia as well. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

New Superbug Stalks Hospitals