New MCR-1 reports warn of untreatable infection threat

The newly identified MCR-1 resistance gene has been detected in six more countries, along with worrisome signs that it can appear alongside other resistance genes, which would make some infections untreatable, according to reports from several research groups. At least 17 countries have now reported the MCR-1 gene, which disables the last-line antibiotic colistin, an older drug that isn’t often used in humans but is commonly used for raising food animals. The newest reports—based on studies of existing bacteria collections—place the gene in Germany, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Switzerland, and Belgium. The was first reported by Chinese researchers in the middle of November. Since then, scientists in other countries have been looking in lab sample archives to gather more clues about its spread. The new findings appear in eight separate reports in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and follow a similar gush of new findings published in the same journal on Dec 17. Most of today’s reports...