Drug-resistant bug spreading from patient to patient: researchers warn

A drug-resistant bug that can cause chronic and severe lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is spreading worldwide and becoming gradually more virulent, researchers reported in the journal Science.

The bug, called Mycobacterium abscessus, is typically found in water, soil and dust. Previously, it was thought to be independently acquired by people through contact with the environment. But, the new study revealed that the majority of M. abscessus infections are spreading from one patient to another in clinical settings.

Dr. Andres Floto, from medicine department of University of Cambridge, said, “The bug initially seems to have entered the patient population from the environment, but we think it has recently evolved to become capable of jumping from patient to patient, getting more virulent as it does so.”

CF is caused by a defective gene that prompts excess secretion of mucus that clogs up the lungs, making it difficult for the patient to breathe, eventually leading to failure of the respiratory system.

While CF would be fatal for young kids, many patients are now able to live into their 30s and 40s. Five to 10 per cent of CF patients get the infection, but their number has been on the rise for the last many years.

According to the CF Foundation, as many as 30,000 American kids and adults have the life-shortening disease. Infections are difficult to treat because the bacteria are resistant to most antibiotics.