A ‘superbug’ emerges in China to remind us that antibiotics won’t last forever

The Washington Post (online registration required): In general, I do my best not to alarm you. But antibiotic resistant bacteria are alarming — and you should be afraid.According to a study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, a gene dubbed MCR-1 is becoming more common in bacteria found in China. MCR-1 gives bacteria the ability to resist antibiotics called polymyxins. These harsh antibiotics are considered a last line of defense — a treatment when bacteria have shown resistance to everything else. But with MCR-1 in tow, bacteria can thwart our most aggressive drugs.

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