"Superbug Resistant To Last-Resort Antibiotics Found In US"

"A new superbug that is resistant to the antibiotic of last resort has been spotted in the United States. Twice.

US researchers reported Thursday that the mcr-1 gene has been found in E. coli bacteria retrieved from a woman from Pennsylvania. Separately, the US Department of Agriculture reported that the gene had been found in a sample of intestine from a pig. It did not provide further details, though a source told STAT the pig was raised in Texas.

The mcr-1 gene was first discovered last fall by Chinese scientists. In the weeks that followed, a cascade of scientific articles emerged from a range of countries reporting on finding the gene in animals, commercial meat, and occasionally in people."

Helen Branswell reports for STAT May 26, 2016.