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Antibiotic Resistance: The Story of CREs

LPH

Flight Director
Flight Instructor
The antibiotic resistance bacteria known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs) are becoming a greater health hazard. According to the CDC, Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are examples of Enterobacteriaceae, a normal part of the human gut bacteria, that can become carbapenem-resistant.

The journal Nature has a fantastic piece on CREs, including a quote from Flemming regarding the need to guard against using antibiotics too often.

CREs cause bladder, lung and blood infections that can spiral into life-threatening septic shock. They evade the action of almost all antibiotics — including the carbapenems, which are considered drugs of last resort — and they kill up to half of all patients who contract them. In the United States, these bacteria have been found in 4% of all hospitals and 18% of those that offer long-term critical care.
 
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