Daily Brief: 2017.1.18
THREAT ANALYSIS
New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase
According to Public health officials from Nevada, a woman who died in September from septic shock was reportedly infected with a superbug that is believed to be resistant to every antibiotic available in the US. The bacterium, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM), is a type of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
(Sources: CNN, PBS, STAT News)
NDM was first isolated in 2009 in a Swedish patient of Indian origin who travelled to India. NDM itself does not cause disease, but it has the potential to change the characteristics of bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics. NDM has been found to be widespread in India, and by 2015, it had been detected in more than 70 countries worldwide.
(Sources: Medical News Today, CDC, Medicine Net)
As previously stated, NDM is a type of CRE. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CRE, which spreads in hospitals and long-term care facilities, causes an estimated 9,300 infections and 600 deaths each year in the United States.
(Source: CNN)
ACTION STEPS
- Currently, the most effective way to combat the spread of NDM is through surveillance, quickly identifying and isolating infected patients, disinfecting hospital equipment, and following hand-hygiene procedures in hospitals.
(Source: Medical News Today) - So far, patients with NDM-related infections have been treated on a case-by-case basis, with a combination of medications, but there is no effective treatment and no oral treatments are available for many of the infections caused by NDM.
(Source: Medical News Today)