00:00Dangerous new strains of a hypervirulent superbug have been found in 16 countries, including
00:07the United States, the World Health Organization, WHO, announced in a new report.
00:14The superbug, known as Hypervirulent Klebsiella Pneumoniae, HBKP, is a type of drug-resistant
00:21bacteria that can cause rapidly progressing, deadly infections, even in people with healthy
00:27immune systems.
00:28In general, K, pneumoniae can be found in the environment, for example, in soil and
00:35water, as well as in the upper throat and gastrointestinal tract of various animals,
00:41including humans.
00:42The classic version of the germ is a big problem in healthcare settings, where it can contaminate
00:48medical equipment and cause opportunistic infections, especially in people with weak
00:53immune systems.
00:55It's known to cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and the
01:00nervous system infection meningitis.
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01:13At baseline, the bacteria are inherently resistant to the antibiotic ampicillin, and in recent
01:19years, they've developed resistance to more and more drugs.
01:23As stated, superbugs are on the rise.
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01:29The newer, hypervirulent variety of K, pneumoniae poses a wider threat because it can cause
01:36severe infections even in people with healthy immune systems.
01:40The invasive infections can progress very quickly, spurring a high rate of complications
01:46and death, according to Sidrap News, which is published by the University of Minnesota.
01:52When these HVKP strains were initially discovered in Asia in the 1980s, they were still vulnerable
01:59to a variety of antibiotics.
02:02But now, the strains have spread globally and show resistance to both older and newer
02:07classes of antibiotics, studies suggest.
02:11In particular, it's concerning that some of these strains show resistance to carbapenems,
02:16a class of antibiotics often used to treat bacterial infections that are resistant to
02:22multiple other drugs.
02:24The WHO's report is a result of the agency requesting information from its member states
02:29regarding the global prevalence of K, pneumoniae.
02:33The request yielded data from 43 countries and territories.
02:38Of those, 16 reported detecting HVKP.
02:42Twelve of the reporting countries said they'd found a particularly concerning strain of
02:47the bacterium dubbed ST23, which carries genes that enable it to resist carbapenems and all-available
02:54beta-lactam antibiotics, the WHO said in a July 31 statement.
02:59The U.S. was among the countries that reported detecting HVKP bacteria, in general, but not
03:05ST23, specifically.
03:08Globally, the prevalence of HVKP-associated infections may be underestimated due to current
03:15limitations in the surveillance for these germs, the WHO said in the statement.
03:20The agency flagged a need to improve awareness about these infections and to expand testing
03:25for them.
03:26That's important for tracking the superbug within the population as a whole and for treating
03:31individual patients, because correctly identifying the bacteria is important for selecting the
03:37correct treatment course, the agency said.
03:40With the concurrence of hypervirulence and antibiotic resistance, it is expected that
03:46there will be an increased risk of spread of these strains at both the community and
03:50hospital levels, the WHO concluded.
03:53Ever wonder why some people build muscle more easily than others, or why freckles come out
03:58in the sun?
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