New Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbug’ an Emerging Threat, CDC Says

Evidence of CRE found in seven U.S. cities monitored by researchers

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A relatively new antibiotic-resistant bacteria called CRE is making inroads in some major American cities, U.S. health officials report.

Surveillance of seven U.S. metropolitan areas found higher-than-expected levels of CRE in Atlanta, Baltimore and New York City, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lower-than-expected levels were found in Albuquerque, Denver and Portland, Ore., while the Minneapolis rate was what the agency anticipated.

But CDC researchers were dismayed that they found active cases of CRE infection in every city they examined, said senior author Dr. Alexander Kallen, a CDC medical officer.