Drug-resistant superbug found in Ukraine alarms experts
Klebsiella pneumoniae, a dangerous bacterium responsible for pneumonia, has been discovered in Ukraine. Experts are alarmed as the bacterium is drug-resistant. Scientists believe it poses a threat to public health.
Worrying news from Ukraine. A dangerous bacterium has been detected in our eastern neighbour. According to specialists, it poses a public health threat. The strain in question is Klebsiella pneumoniae. Onet.pl recently reported the threat.
Dangerous bacterium detected in Ukraine
Dr. Oleksandr Nazarchuk from the National Medical University in Vinnytsia sought assistance from Prof. Kristian Riesbeck of Lund University. They conducted research on the resistance of bacteria from war-wounded individuals and hospital patients. It turned out that about 6% of the 141 samples were resistant to all antibiotics.
Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most dangerous of them. The bacterium can cause serious infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, and skin infections. It is one of the main causes of mortality related to drug resistance.
The spread of infection will continue
Experiments on mice and insect larvae showed that the resistant bacteria were exceptionally aggressive, killing larvae much faster than less resistant strains. Genetic sequencing revealed that the bacteria also have genes that make them more virulent.
According to Prof. Riesbeck, the bacteria will pose a problem - their spread will be difficult to control. Due to the ongoing war, Ukraine has limited capacity to provide medical care at a level that effectively combats the bacterium. As long as the patients cannot be isolated and treated properly, the spread of infection will continue, the Swedish expert stated.
