NDM-1 How Dangerous Is the Mutation?

摘要

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria aren't new,rnbut the threat they pose is getting more urgent. The latest salvo from our microbial foes is not actually a superbug but a genetic mutation called NDM-I-a supergene perhaps. The alteration allows bacteria to produce an enzyme that easily neutralizes any antibiotic, including last-resort medications known as carbapenems, which had proved impervious to other bacterial enzymes. Even scarier, say experts, is that NDM-i can be passed like a secret survival code among different types of bacteria. So far, three species in the U.S. have picked up the genetic change, including E. co/i'and K. pneumoniae.