CDC Warns Of New 'Nightmare' Superbug Infection 2015: 'Nursing Homes, Hospitals At Risk'

A recent research study confirmed that a new "nightmare" superbug infection has been tagged by health officials in 2015. CREs, a type of antibiotic-resistant superbug bacteria are infiltrating U.S. cities, said the study.

Seven metropolitan areas in the country had high levels of this new superbug CRE infection in 2015. These cities were located in Atlanta, Baltimore and New York City, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC researchers were surprised to find the new superbug infection CRE in each city examined this year, said senior author Dr. Alexander Kallen, a CDC medical officer.

The consensus among health officials is that CRE bacteria, though common, spread fast and something needs to be done as soon as possible before it spreads at a faster rate like MRSA. Health authorities say that nursing homes could be at risk.

Associate Professor of pathology, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Dr. Mary Hayden said the study was a good initial step and it should be expanded to other cities in the country.

The results support the CDC's decision to promote coordinated regional efforts to prevent the spread of CRE and other antibiotic-resistant germs, Kallen said.

"Here we are with an opportunity to intervene on one of these multidrug-resistant organisms just as it's about to emerge and it's still relatively uncommon," he said in a report by medicinenet. "That is the time you want to intervene. It's much easier to control things and prevent the organism from becoming more common when it's rare."

Doctors resort to using older and more potent antibiotics when CREs are resistant to commonly used antibiotics.

First reported in 2001, CRE also known as Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are a bacteria class that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics, reported CNN.

The study found that most of the infections from CRE occur in hospitals, making hospitalization a threat to patients who averaged 66 years. Despite this finding, public health officials cite that treating CRE infection outside health-care facilities could cause these common bacteria to cause more damage to the public.

The most common kind of bacteria in this class is E.coli, which is also found in the human gut. However, it is also known to cause food poisoning outbreaks during mismanagement of food products like poultry. Klebsiella pneumoniae may contribute to pneumonia and fatal infections in the circulatory system.

The CRE research revealed an infection rate of 2.93 in approximately 100,000 individuals. "That's low compared with the antibiotic-resistant bug MRSA, and the opportunistic C. difficile bacteria, which causes potentially deadly diarrhea in people whose digestive systems have been subjected to heavy antibiotics," said medicinenet.com

The study revealing the monitoring of the new superbug infiction in 2015 was published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association."