Drug resistant bacteria cause fresh concerns

Infections caused by so-called “superbugs,” resistant to most available antibiotics, are causing renewed concerns worldwide. Four recent outbreaks of new and more virulent strains of disease caused by contact with animals or contaminated food have been reported in the New England Journal of Medicine . “The underlying cause of why these things happen is the changing food supply, growing world population, international travel, and overuse of antibiotics,” said Dr Michael Osterholm, the chief executive officer of Ican, a medical information company and author of an accompanying editorial on the topic (2000;342:1280-1). In one of the four studies …