Scientists found that the "ultimate" antibiotic resistance genes

Bacteria worldwide are resistant to colistin there is a - a kind of "ultimate" antibiotic - genes. Related findings from China in November, followed by Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Thailand also found similar resistance genes.

Although this discovery worrying, but they may not like a lot of media coverage that would have disastrous consequences, since only one of several colistin dosage in humans is very rare antibiotics. The discovery "has brought very bad news, but not apocalyptic," American University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Dr. Makoto Jones said infectious disease.

Colistin was developed in the 1950s and is a polymyxin compounds. It has the title of "ultimate" of drugs, doctors will avoid as much as possible the use of this drug, because it can damage the patient's kidneys, University of Washington epidemiologist Lance Price said.

Therefore, compared with other antibiotics, the bacteria difficult to colistin resistance.

In fact, there have been previous reports of colistin-resistant mutations. Many soil bacteria are its resistance, because the drug is widely used in agriculture, long fat pigs, farm animals and prevent illness. In China, the amount of colistin is particularly high, the annual amount of applied agricultural sector reached 12,000 tons.

The latest findings show that colistin resistance gene is present in a loop of DNA called plasmids, and among bacteria already in the "share" of this resistance gene. Chinese researchers found E. coli in a sample of more than one province is called mcr-1 gene, indicating that the gene can spread easily; the same resistance gene have been found in Asia, Europe. Danish researchers have found that E. coli resistance can be passed to other unrelated bacteria.

The researchers said that the emergence of existing antibiotics can not treat bacterial infections but sooner or later. The US Food and Drug Administration in the past two years has approved several new antibiotics, of which there are more than 30 kinds of antibiotics being reviewed. But a lot of antibiotics, similar features and existing drugs, and does not produce better results.