CDC: C. diff, CRE and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae top list of bacterial threats to U.S. health

Clostridium difficile, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae are the most urgent bacterial threats to health in the U.S., the CDC said last week in a report.

The report, “Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013,” categorizes 18 organisms as “urgent,” “serious” or “concerning.” The serious threats include: multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; drug-resistant Campylobacter, non-typhoidal Salmonella, Salmonella typhi, Shigella, Streptococcus pneumoniae and tuberculosis; fluconazole-resistant Candida; extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae; vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus; and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The concerning threats are vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, erythromycin-resistant group A Streptococcus and clindamycin-resistant group B Streptococcus, the report said.

For each of the bacterial threats, the report includes an overview of the organism and associated health conditions, what the CDC is doing to combat the threat, recommendations for the health care community and for patients, and links to more resources. Generally, to fight the spread of resistance, the CDC is supporting four core actions:

• Preventing infections from occurring and resistant bacteria from spreading
• Tracking resistant bacteria
• Improving antibiotic use
• Promoting development of new antibiotics and new diagnostic tests for resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant infections kill at least 23,000 people each year and make at least 2 million people ill, the report said. The CDC's Antibiotic Stewardship Drivers and Change Package includes several interventions for health care facilities and clinicians to help combat resistance, the report said.