Antibiotic-resistant NDM-1 bacteria could spread across globe
NDM-1, a gene found in certain bacteria, has scientists worried about a possible pandemic of antibiotic-resistant infections. The gene makes bacteria resistant to every drug on the market and hails from South Asia, where it’s known to inhabit Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal says medical tourism—both cosmetic and otherwise—will hasten the spread of NDM-1 to Europe and North America. Most of the British patients found with NDM-1-positive infections had traveled to one of two Indian hospitals.