Infections from drug-resistant “nightmare bacteria” jumped nearly 70% in the United States between 2019 and 2023, federal health officials reported Monday. The increase was driven largely by bacteria carrying the NDM gene, which are resistant to nearly all antibiotics and leave only two costly, intravenous drugs as treatment options. Once considered rare and linked mostly to patients who had received care overseas, U.S. cases have surged more than fivefold in recent years. Scientists warn the rise could make once-routine infections, such as urinary tract infections, far harder to treat.
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This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.