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Human infections from drug-resistant bacteria are spiking in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned.
The CDC’s laboratory tests have shown that occurrences of a bacteria called NDM-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE) have increased dramatically.
NDM-CRE belongs to a broader category of bacteria called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), which have shown to resist some of the most powerful antibiotics available.
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“NDM” refers to an enzyme called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, which is resistant to almost all antibiotics, according to the report.
In 2020, NDM-CRE led to approximately 12,700 infections and 1,100 deaths in the U.S., the above source stated. The current spike could send those numbers surging even higher.
NDM-CRE infections — which can include urinary tract infections, pneumonia, bloodstream infections and wound infections — increased by more than 460% between 2019 and 2023, the CDC warned.
As these infections are resistant to most antibiotics, they are very difficult to treat and can sometimes be fatal. NDM-CRE can also spread quickly throughout communities.
It is also easily misdiagnosed or overlooked, the CDC noted, as it has not been common in the U.S. and may not be on healthcare providers’ radar.
“This sharp rise in NDM-CRE means we face a growing threat that limits our ability to treat some of the most serious bacterial infections,” Danielle Rankin, an epidemiologist in CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, said in the CDC’s press release.
“Selecting the right treatment has never been more complicated, so it is vitally important that healthcare providers have access to testing to help them select the proper targeted therapies.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, called this a “very concerning trend” with a “high risk of severe illness or death.”
“It’s partly due to overuse of antibiotics, and part of a worldwide trend that breeds more and more resistance,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Treatment for carbapenem-resistant infections involves novel antibiotics like ceftazidime-avibactam, meropenem-vaborbactam, plazomicin and eravacycline, according to the doctor.
“At the same time, we don’t have enough antibiotics to treat it because it isn’t profitable enough to make them,” he added.
Infectious disease expert David Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and executive vice president at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation in New Jersey, was not involved in the CDC’s study, but shared his reactions with Fox News Digital.
“This is one of the many drug resistance concerns right now for Americans — especially since we are seeing that surveillance is not keeping up with the evolution of the pathogens,” he said. “We can certainly do better, once we realize the stakes here.”
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NDM-CRE infections are serious and can be life-threatening, Perlin confirmed.
“They’re constantly adapting to their environment, and can acquire a range of drug resistance mechanisms that make them difficult to treat,” he said.
“The fact that some of these strains carry special carbapenemase genes — which enables the organism to resist treatment with the most common class of antibiotics — makes them particularly dangerous to patients with compromised immune systems.”
Perlin recommends that patients are “persistent” in interacting with doctors about any nagging infections.
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“Healthcare providers can, and must, do better to provide testing closer to the point of care, especially in emergency departments, so these infections can be identified rapidly for effective treatment and infection control,” he added, warning that these infections can spread easily among hospital, nursing home and community settings.
Siegel added, “The key is sanitizing settings and early diagnosis, which is especially important in immunocompromised patients where it can spread rapidly.”
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