Faced with the health danger posed by the growing resistance to antimicrobial drugs, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to publish the first list of families of bacteria that represent the greatest danger to human health.
“This list is a tool for research and development. We are running out of treatment options and new antibiotics need to be developed urgently.” underlined Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director General at the WHO.
This list, drawn up in collaboration with the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Tübingen, Germany, is intended to encourage governments to put in place research policies in order to lead to the development of new antibiotics.
Bacteria resistant to the best antibiotics
The WHO has divided its list into three groups in order to define priorities. In the most critical group are antibiotic-resistant bacteria that pose a particular threat in hospitals, nursing homes or in patients hospitalized at home and whose care requires blood catheters or ventilators. It includes bacteria that can cause serious and often fatal infections and have become resistant to the best antibiotics availableincluding 3rd generation cephalosporins.
The 2nd and 3rd levels on the list include other bacteria that are resistant but cause more common illnesses like gonorrhea or food poisoning.
The twelve families of bacteria
Priority 1: Critical
Acinetobacter baumannii: resistant to carbapenems
Pseudomonas aeruginosa: resistant to carbapenems
Enterobacteriaceae, resistant to carbapenems
Priority 2: High
Enterococcus faecium: resistant to vancomycin
Staphylococcus aureus: resistant to methicillin and vancomycin
Helicobacter pylori: resistant to clarithromycin
Campylobacter spp: resistant to fluoroquinolones
Salmonellae: resistant to fluoroquinolones
Neisseria gonorrhoeae: resistant to cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones
Priority 3: Medium
Streptococcus pneumoniae: not susceptible to penicillin
Haemophilus influenzae: resistant to ampicillin
Shigella spp: resistant to fluoroquinolones
WHO’s 1st ever list of #AntibioticResistance priority pathogens.
New antibiotics to tackle them are urgently needed https://t.co/6SDXXjpXlI— WHO (@WHO) February 27, 2017
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