E coli gene that can spread antibiotic resistance discovered in U.S. patient

The Department of Defense’s Multidrug-resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network has identified the first bacteria in the U.S. with a gene that confers resistance to colistin, an antibiotic used to treat multidrug-resistant infections, the Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday. The mcr-1 gene, which is capable of spreading antibiotic resistance between different species of bacteria, was found in E coli bacteria in a patient treated in an outpatient military facility in Pennsylvania, as well as in a pig intestine. The gene was first discovered last November in China and also has been detected in Europe and Canada. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with DoD, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and others to determine whether any close contacts of the patient, including health care contacts, may have been at risk for transmitting the bacteria. The Department of Agriculture also is working to determine the pig’s farm of origin.