The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported the fourth human case of an antibiotic-resistant superbug. The latest case was found in a 2-year-old in Connecticut, who may have contracted the superbug during a trip to the Caribbean in June. The child had a strain of E. coli that contained the gene mcr-1, which scientists have found to be resistant to the antibioitic colistin, which is the treatment administered as a last resort when patients aren't responding to other antibiotics.
Luckily, the girl's case proved treatable with drugs other than colistin, and health experts do not believe the germs were passed along to anyone else. Still, the case is alarming for health experts who have been carefully tracking the gene; if the gene spreads to other bacteria, scientists believe that it could eventually morph into a superbug invincible to all known antibiotics.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics' choice: 2025 James Beard Award winnersFeature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
How will Trump's spending bill impact student loans?the explainer Here's what the Republicans' domestic policy bill means for current and former students
-
Can the US economy survive Trump's copper tariffs?Today's Big Question The price hike 'could upend' the costs of cars, houses and appliances
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Is that the buzzing sound of climate change worsening sleep apnea?Under the radar Catching diseases, not those ever-essential Zzs
-
Deadly fungus tied to a pharaoh's tomb may help fight cancerUnder the radar A once fearsome curse could be a blessing
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Climate change can impact our gut healthUnder the radar The gastrointestinal system is being gutted
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
Orthorexia nervosa: when clean eating goes too farThe Explainer Being healthy is fine, but obsessing over it is dangerous
-
Children's breakfast cereals are getting more unhealthyUnder the radar Your kids may be starting their day with more than a spoonful of sugar
