Scientists warn that the world is now on the cusp of a "post-antibiotic era", following the discovery that pigs and meat sold in China, along with over 1,000 Chinese patients, are infected with bacteria carrying a new gene, MCR-1, that makes them resistant to rearguard antibiotics. It is thought that the bacteria has already spread to Laos and Malaysia, causing scientists to conclude that "pandemic resistance is inevitable". "The emergence of the MCR-1 gene in China heralds a disturbing breach of the last group of antibiotics and an end to our last line of defence against infection", says Professor Timothy Walsh at the University of Cardiff at a UK conference, adding that the "MCR-1 is likely to spread to the rest of the world at an alarming rate unless we take a globally coordinated approach to combat it. It could already be here". Experts have warned for years that antibiotic resistance could send medicine back to the dark ages, with even the tiniest infection proving lethal.
Scientists warn that the world is now on the cusp of a "post-antibiotic era", following the discovery that pigs and meat sold in China, along with over 1,000 Chinese patients, are infected with bacteria carrying a new gene, MCR-1, that makes them resistant to rearguard antibiotics. It is thought that the bacteria has already spread to Laos and Malaysia, causing scientists to conclude that "pandemic resistance is inevitable". "The emergence of the MCR-1 gene in China heralds a disturbing breach of the last group of antibiotics and an end to our last line of defence against infection", says Professor Timothy Walsh at Cardiff University at a UK conference, adding that the "MCR-1 is likely to spread to the rest of the world at an alarming rate unless we take a globally coordinated approach to combat it. It could already be here". Experts have warned for years that antibiotic resistance could send medicine back to the dark ages, with even the tiniest infection proving lethal.