Chinese doctors working with UK experts from Bristol and Cardiff universities discovered that "Superbugs are threatening to unleash a global epidemic of untreatable infections after breaching the last line of antibiotic defences, scientists announced last night."
Polymyxins were until now the only group of antibiotics that worked but now experts have identified the first germs to become resistant to the drugs. They warned of the inevitable spread of uncontrollable superbugs that attack the blood and lungs.
They had found a gene which enables infectious bacteria such as E.coli to become untreatable.
The alarming findings show that the mobile gene can easily be transferred to other types of bacteria.
Polymyxins are widely used in farming, if bugs in animals become resistant to the drugs, they could be transferred to humans who eat the meat.
The more that antibiotics are used the easier it is for bacteria to evolve to become resistant to them.
Polymyxins were until now the only group of antibiotics that worked but now experts have identified the first germs to become resistant to the drugs. They warned of the inevitable spread of uncontrollable superbugs that attack the blood and lungs.
They had found a gene which enables infectious bacteria such as E.coli to become untreatable.
The alarming findings show that the mobile gene can easily be transferred to other types of bacteria.
Polymyxins are widely used in farming, if bugs in animals become resistant to the drugs, they could be transferred to humans who eat the meat.
The more that antibiotics are used the easier it is for bacteria to evolve to become resistant to them.
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