Superbug Spreading in Hospitals

Three variants of the multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria have been discovered in samples from 78 hospitals in ten countries. It is suspected that the superbug is spreading rapidly due to the high use of antibiotics in intensive care units, where patients are routinely prescribed strong drugs. Researcher Dr. Ben Howden adds, “This highlights that the use of more and more antibiotics is driving more drug-resistant bacteria… With all bacteria in a hospital environment, we are driving more resistant strains and there’s no doubt that antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest dangers to hospital care worldwide.” Nature Microbiology, September 2018