HARRISBURG, Pa. -A 49 year old Pennsylvania woman is the first in the nation found to have a rare strain of E. coli that is resistant to colistin. Colistin is considered the drug of last resort for bacteria resistant to other antibiotics.
Governor Tom Wolf issued a statement late today about the emergence of a case of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance (mcr-1) in Pennsylvania:
“We have learned about a human case of mcr-1 in a Pennsylvania resident, and my administration, through the Department of Health, immediately began working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the United States Department of Defense (DOD), to coordinate an appropriate and collaborative response between federal, state, and local entities. We are taking the emergence of this resistance gene very seriously and we will take necessary actions to prevent mcr-1 from becoming a widespread problem with potentially serious consequences. The safety of Pennsylvanians is our utmost priority."
Centers for Disease Control officials fear that this may be the end of the road for the use antibiotics for the treatment of infections.