E coli strains resistant to antibiotics are showing greater occurrence in England and Northern Ireland, said a report by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the country's federal health body. The report was presented at a health conference in Warwick in central England.
According to the HPA, new mutants of the E coli bacteria are capable of producing an enzyme called extended-spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL). This enzymes serves to strengthen the bacteria's immunity against antibiotics, thus making treatment of ailments caused by such bacteria, like urinary tract infection and blood poisoning, a challenge.
“Voluntary national surveillance of blood poisoning (in England) caused by E coli from 1994 to 2004 indicates a recent increase in the numbers of infections that are multi-resistant and therefore likely to be ESBL-producing strains," said Dr Georgia Duckworth, who authored the report. “There is no comprehensive surveillance of urinary tract infections in the community so there is no reliable estimate of the number of infections caused by ESBL-producing E coli strains in the community.”
The report also said that the new strains have been mostly found in fecal matter, showing that lack of hygiene is resulting in it entering the food chain. “Many of the infections have been in elderly people who are already sick with other underlying medical conditions. It mainly occurs in those who have been taking antibiotics or who have been previously hospitalized,” Dr Duckworth said.
A recent outbreak of E coli infections in Shropshire resulting in 54 deaths showed that around 25 per cent of the deaths were due to ESBL-producing bacteria. Earlier in 2004, 29 deaths in Southampton were also related to the same strain.
The report made some recommendations to check infections caused by such bacteria. These include surveillance of cases of urinary tract infections, identification of infections caused by ESBL-producing bacteria, further research into understanding the transmission of these bacteria, and standardized methods of detection of such infection in laboratories.
In London, the occurrence of drug-resistant bacteria was found to be 11.6 per cent of all E coli infections in 2004 as against 2.6 per cent in 2001.
