New E. coli Strains Could Spell Epidemic

New drug-resistant strains of E. coli have doctors worried that the mutant bacteria could become a superbug to rival MRSA, the drug-resistant form of staphylococcus that kills hundreds hospital patients each year, the Daily Telegraph reports. The spread of the new E.coli strains must be carefully tracked to avoid an epidemic, Canadian scientists write in a new paper.

Funding is needed to figure out which strains are causing the most deadly infections, aiding development of more effective, targeted antibiotics, the research team says. The elderly are most at risk, especially those in hospitals and nursing homes, where such bugs can spread rapidly. The big worry is that the bacteria will spread into the general public, as MRSA has recently done. (More E. coli stories.)