Rapid Spread of ‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Triggers Alarm

In 2013, former CDC director Tom Frieden observed that there were rising cases of ‘nightmare bacteria’, a category of bacteria characterized by three deadly attributes; resistance to all or almost all antibiotics, high mortality levels, and their ability to spread antibiotic resistance to other types of bacteria. From this triple threat of these microbes, one can understand why they are described as ‘nightmare bacteria.’ Data shows that cases of these bacteria are increasing at an alarming rate in the U.S. 

Available statistics indicate that there has been a nearly 70% spike in incidences of nightmare bacteria in the years 2019-2023. CDC scientists specifically observed rising cases from Enterobacterales, a category of bacteria noted for being resistant to expensive antibiotics prescribed for people diagnosed with severe infections that have proved to be resistant to several drugs routinely administered to treat infections. 

What makes these nightmare bacteria different from others? It turns out, they have a gene, the NDM gene, which gives the bacteria the ability to form an antibiotic-destroying enzyme. To contextualize how devastating this enzyme is, data indicates that infections resistant to carbapenem (a very expensive antibiotic administered by IV) generally ticked up by 69% in the years 2019-2023. When those cases were analyzed, it was found that the bacteria equipped with the NDM gene registered a 461% surge in cases recorded within that same duration. 

Scientists posit that several factors could be helping these nightmare bacteria to spread rapidly. They say many individuals could be unknowing carriers of the nightmare bacteria and are spreading it within their communities, such as when they visit their doctors. In hospital settings, inadequate disinfection and cleaning of equipment could spread the bacteria, just as insufficient hand hygiene can also spread the microbes. Lack of the needed detection tools and insufficient testing also delay timely diagnosis, which gives the bacteria more time to spread. 

Analysts also say the widespread use of antibiotics during the pandemic also likely played a role in driving antibiotic resistance, triggering several nightmare bacteria. As these NDM bacteria proliferate, common infections like UTIs, pneumonia, meningitis, bloodstream infections and wound infections could quickly become challenging to treat. 

As the scientific community grapples with understanding exactly why nightmare bacterial infections are surging in the U.S. and what can be done to address this growing crisis, for-profit companies like Soligenix Inc. (NASDAQ: SNGX) focused on developing treatments indicated for infectious diseases and other biothreats could also take up this challenge and come up with therapeutics that can benefit patients and bolster the company’s product portfolio. 

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