Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

44 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND STEWARDSHIP Colistin-Resistant E. coli is Carried by Seagulls, Researchers Suggest By Shannon Barnet I n May, the colistin-resistant gene mcr-1 was identified in a woman being treated at a military clinic in Pennsylvania, marking the first time the "super" superbug was identified in the U.S. New research suggests one possible carrier of the E. coli strain — seagulls. According to National Geographic, two research teams on entirely different continents identified the drug-resistant gene in the droppings of two seagull species — Larus dominicanus, or kelp gulls, in Argentina and Larus argentatus, or herring gulls, in Lithuania. Seagulls are almost certainly not the only way colistin-resistant E. coli spreads, and scientists are unable to trace how exactly the strain arrived in the U.S., since it could have spread from another person or from food. That said, pinpointing one carri- er of the superbug may help researchers design surveillance systems to alert health planners of the gene's movement, Nat Geo reports. "The lifestyle of gulls allows them to carry and disseminate pathogenic and resistant microorganisms despite country borders," the Lithuanian researchers wrote in their study. "Wa- ter contaminated by feces of birds should be foreseen as an important risk factor for transmission of resistant bacteria." The seagull research was published in two separate studies in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. n Pond-Dwelling Virus May Combat Antibiotic Resistance By Shannon Barnet R esearchers from New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University recently discovered that a virus called a bacteriophage found in a Connecti- cut pond may be used to fight antibiotic resistance. The virus has the ability to attack the common multi- drug resistant organism Pseudomonas aerugino- sa, which can cause deadly infections in humans, according to Paul Turner, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale. "We have been looking for natural products that are useful in combating important pathogens," said Dr. Turner. "What's neat about this virus is it binds to something the organism needs to become patho- genic, and backs it into an evolutionary corner such that it becomes more sensitive to currently failing antibiotics." Ultimately, the researchers believe the bacterio- phage can be used with antibiotics to treat patients with severe burns, surgical wounds, cystic fibrosis and other immune system-compromising conditions. The study was published in Scientific Reports. n Untreatable Superbug Makes Its Way to US for First Time: 6 Things to Know By Heather Punke A strain of E. coli resistant to colistin — the antibiotic of last resort — was identified for the first time in the U.S. in April, marking "the emergence of a truly pan-drug resistant bacteria," according to a study published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in May. Here are six things to know about colistin, this case and "super" superbugs. 1. e bacteria were cultured from the urine of a 49-year-old female who was treated at a military clinic in Pennsylvania. e sample, which was sent to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., showed the colistin-resistant gene, mcr-1. 2. Colistin is "one of the last efficacious an- tibiotics for the treatment of highly resistant bacteria," Patrick McGann, PhD, from the Multidrug Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, said, according to Science Daily. "e emergence of a trans- ferable gene that confers resistance to this vital antibiotic is extremely disturbing. e discovery of this gene in the U.S. is equally concerning." 3. CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, said in e Washington Post the discovery "basi- cally shows us that the end of the road isn't very far away for antibiotics — that we may be in a situation where we have patients in our intensive care units, or patients getting urinary tract infections for which we do not have antibiotics." 4. While this is the first discovery of such bacteria in the U.S., the drug-resistant and deadly strain has also shown up in pigs, raw pork and a small number of people in China in November, according to the Post. It is also in Europe. 5. e CDC is working with Pennsylva- nia health officials to find out where the Pennsylvania woman — whose outcome was not reported — contracted the bacteria, according to the Post. e study notes that the woman did not report any travel for the last five months. 6. "Continued surveillance to determine the true frequency for this gene in the USA is critical," the study authors concluded. n

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