{"id":50283,"date":"2024-08-16T11:29:23","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T10:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=50283"},"modified":"2024-08-16T11:29:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T10:29:23","slug":"scientists-discover-superbugs-rapid-path-to-vancomycin-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/scientists-discover-superbugs-rapid-path-to-vancomycin-resistance\/50283\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists discover superbug’s rapid path to vancomycin resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a type of bacteria which often affects people who have taken antibiotics, is responsible for approximately 2,000 deaths annually in the UK.<\/p>\n
Researchers from the University of Sheffield and the University of Manchester have found that C. diff is able to evolve high levels of vancomycin resistance very quickly\u2014in less than two months, the bacteria could tolerate 32 times the normally effective antibiotic concentration<\/a>.<\/p>\n Currently, the antibiotics used to treat C. diff damage beneficial gut bacteria, leading to a high reinfection rate\u2014up to 30% of patients treated with vancomycin experience a second infection within weeks, with the likelihood of further relapses increasing thereafter.<\/p>\n Despite vancomycin’s critical role within UK healthcare, routine monitoring for resistance in clinical settings is lacking, so resistance may be emerging under the radar in hospitals.<\/p>\n If widespread vancomycin resistance were to arise, this critical treatment option would be removed from UK healthcare settings.<\/p>\nThe hidden dangers of vancomycin resistance<\/h3>\n