Woman Dies From Superbug Resistant To Every Antibiotic Available In US

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Health officials report a woman died in Nevada back in September after being infected by a superbug that was resistant to all available drugs in the United States.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports the patient was infected with a carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) that was resistant to all available antimicrobial drugs.

"It was tested against everything that's available in the United States … and was not effective," said Dr. Alexander Kallen, a medical officer in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of health care quality promotion, while speaking with PBS.

Health officials report the patient was a woman in her 70s, who just got back to the United States after an extended trip from India. She had also made frequents hospital trips while in India.

She was immediately isolated, and no other cases were identified.

Tests showed that the CRE was resistant to 26 antibiotics, and all available antimicrobial drugs, according to the CDC.

The CDC says finding CREs that are resistant to all antimicrobials is very uncommon.

Click here to read more from the CDC on this case.

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