Gram-negative bacteria danger is being ignored
Escherichia coli: multi-resistant isolates are now firmly established
in the UK |
The threat of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is being overshadowed by the focus on Gram-positive infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus, latest UK figures suggest. And microbiologists are warning that although there are a number of useful antibiotics for Gram-positive bacteria, either recently licensed or in development, there is little on the horizon to cope with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
Data from the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and the
Health Protection Agency were presented at the European
Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases earlier this week. They show that
multi-resistant isolates of Klebsiella spp, Enterobacter spp, Citrobacter spp and most notably Escherichia
coli are now firmly established in the
UK. For instance, multi-resistant Klebsiella spp rose from under 5 per
cent of isolates in 2002 to over 8 per cent in 2003.
Mark Wilcox, professor of medical microbiology at the University of Leeds,
said: “The real worry is that with Gram-negatives we are in the
same position we were in with MRSA 10 years ago.
“We thought then that we’d run out of options for antibiotics
but drug companies have come up with new treatments effective against
Gram-positives
but rather taken their eyes off the ball with Gram-negatives.”
Professor Wilcox pointed out that tigecycline (PJ, 13 November 2004,
p709) is the only broad spectrum antibiotic on the near horizon. It is
likely to be launched in the US in the next few months and in the UK
towards the end of the year, he added.
“When it is launched we will have to ensure that we use it responsibly.
The worst thing that could happen would be for people to start throwing
it around,” Professor Wilcox said. |
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