Gene 'may kill off antibiotics' [View All]

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International travel and medical tourism helped the spread of drug-resistant bacteria that could lead to the end of antibiotics, scientists have warned. Skip related content

A new gene, NDM-1, emerged which allows bacteria to be highly resistant to almost all antibiotics, the scientists said.

NDM-1 spread in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. But it was also found in 37 patients from the UK, who travelled to India or Pakistan for medical procedures including cosmetic surgery, according to an article published in The Lancet.

"The potential of NDM-1 to be a worldwide public health problem is great, and co-ordinated international surveillance is needed," Timothy Walsh of Cardiff University and his international colleagues wrote.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100810/thl-gene-may-kill-off-antibiotics-d831572.html