MCR-1, a gene popping up in dangerous bacteria around the world, that can make it resistant to even last resort antibiotics, has been found in Canada. The gene first grabbed headlines in November when it was found in China, then in December when it turned up in bacteria in Denmark.
Researchers at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg analyzed more than 1,000 bacterial samples and found the gene was present in three patients. All three positive samples were E. coli.
"In some infections you may be in a scenario where there are actually no antibiotics present that would treat the infection," Matthew Gilmour, MD, scientific director of the National Microbiology Laboratory told Global News. "This is a fearsome scenario, where all the regular common antibiotics are resistant and now the ones that have been reserved for special purposes are also resistant, so that's the real fear here, is that for some infections, the options for treatment are greatly limited if not gone."
Infection preventionists warn that even though only isolated examples of MCR-1 have emerged so far, it could very quickly become difficult to contain.