Two reports from China reveal that the the MCR-1 gene , which we previously noted , was found in patients and livestock in China ; it is able to shrug off the drug of last resort , Colistin , and has already established itself as a highly multi - drug resistant species . The study also showed that after testing on E - coli isolates from retail meat samples that carried the MCR-1 gene , one E - resistant strain from a chicken purchased in a large supermarket was resistant to all antibiotics . This follows evidence that it has also been found in a British Columbia patient . Scientists have warned that bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment should plunge medicine back into the dark waters .
Two reports from China reveal that the the MCR-1 gene, which we previously noted, was found in patients and livestock in China; it is able to shrug off the drug of last resort, Colistin, and has already established itself as a highly multi-drug resistant species. The study also reveals that after tests on E-coli isolates from retail meat samples that carried the MCR-1 gene, one E-coli strain from a chicken purchased in a large supermarket was resistant to all antibiotics. This follows news that MCR-1 has also been found in a British Columbia patient. Scientists have warned that bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment could plunge medicine back into the dark ages.