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ndm-1
ND Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1)[1] is a gene that makes bacteria resistant to antibiotics of the carbapenem family. It encodes a type of beta-lactamase enzyme called a carbapenemase. Bacteria that carry this gene are often referred to by news reporters as "superbugs."[2] There are currently no new drugs in the research pipelines that aim to stop NDM-1.[3] To date, some strains of E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are known carriers of the gene, but the gene can be transmitted from one strain of bacteria to another through horizontal gene transfer.
Function
The gene produces a metallo-beta-lactamase, an enzyme that hydrolyzes and inactivates antibiotics in the beta-lactam family. Those antibiotics were, until recently, capable of killing most bacteria by inhibiting the synthesis of one of their cell wall layers. The resistance conferred by this gene therefore aids the expansion of bacteria that carry it throughout a human host, since they will face less opposition/competition from populations of antibiotic-sensitive bacteria, which will be diminished by the original antibacterial treatment.
Origin and spread
The gene was named after New Delhi, the capital city of India, and was discovered by Yong et al. in 2009.[4] It has reportedly been found in Pakistan, India and most other Asian countries and has been brought from that region to Europe by people undergoing hospitalization in those countries. In several cases people went there to undergo cosmetic surgery at a lower cost, getting infected during the procedure and bringing the resistant bacteria back to their country of origin. The Indian health ministry has disputed this conclusion, describing the statement that the gene originated in India as "unfair" and stating that Indian hospitals are perfectly safe for treatment.[5]
As of June 2010, there were three reported cases of Enterobacteriaceae isolates bearing this newly described resistance mechanism in the US.[6] However, US experts have stated that it is unclear if this strain is any more dangerous than existing antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which are already common in the USA.[7]
Function
The gene produces a metallo-beta-lactamase, an enzyme that hydrolyzes and inactivates antibiotics in the beta-lactam family. Those antibiotics were, until recently, capable of killing most bacteria by inhibiting the synthesis of one of their cell wall layers. The resistance conferred by this gene therefore aids the expansion of bacteria that carry it throughout a human host, since they will face less opposition/competition from populations of antibiotic-sensitive bacteria, which will be diminished by the original antibacterial treatment.
Origin and spread
The gene was named after New Delhi, the capital city of India, and was discovered by Yong et al. in 2009.[4] It has reportedly been found in Pakistan, India and most other Asian countries and has been brought from that region to Europe by people undergoing hospitalization in those countries. In several cases people went there to undergo cosmetic surgery at a lower cost, getting infected during the procedure and bringing the resistant bacteria back to their country of origin. The Indian health ministry has disputed this conclusion, describing the statement that the gene originated in India as "unfair" and stating that Indian hospitals are perfectly safe for treatment.[5]
As of June 2010, there were three reported cases of Enterobacteriaceae isolates bearing this newly described resistance mechanism in the US.[6] However, US experts have stated that it is unclear if this strain is any more dangerous than existing antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which are already common in the USA.[7]
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