The Center for Disease Control has released its Annual report and the results are staggering, both on context and complexity. CDC estimates that in the United States, more than two million people are sickened every year with antibiotic-resistant bacteria infections, with at least 23,000 dying as a result . The estimates are based on conservative assumptions and are likely minimum estimates . They are the best approximations that can be derived from currently available data.

For reference, the CDC has categorized the most offending bacteria into urgent, serious, and concerning.

Urgent Threats Bacteria

– Clostridium difficile
– Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)
– Drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Serious Threats Bacteria

– Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter
– Drug-resistant Campylobacter
– Fluconazole-resistant Candida (a fungus)
– Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs)
– Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)
– Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
– Drug-resistant Non-typhoidal Salmonella
– Drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi
– Drug-resistant Shigella
– Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
– Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
– Drug-resistant tuberculosis

Concerning Threats Bacteria

– Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA)
– Erythromycin-resistant Group A Streptococcus
– Clindamycin-resistant Group B Streptococcus

Control and Prevention

The four core actions the report recommends are:

1. Preventing infections from occurring and preventing resistant bacteria from spreading.
2. Tracking resistant bacteria.
3. Improving the use of antibiotics.
4. Promoting the development of new antibiotics and new diagnostic tests for resistant bacteria.

The report is very detailed and there is so much to learn from it, and as a Medical student, I will be watching out for these bacteria both in the hospital setting and during exams because examiners like to test on these kind of information.