A ‘superbug’ clone of E. coli has evolved to prevent itself from becoming so dominant that it could potentially wipe out the bacteria from existence, scientists led by the University of Birmingham have discovered.
A ‘superbug’ clone of E. coli has evolved to prevent itself from becoming so dominant that it could potentially wipe out the bacteria from existence, scientists led by the University of Birmingham have discovered.
The researchers investigated how and why a clone of E. coli called ST131 - dubbed a ‘superbug’ because it is resistant to multiple drugs - has become the major cause of drug resistant E. coli infections, but not so dominant that it has wiped out other clones that do not have multi-drug resistance.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a type of bacteria common in human and animal intestines, and forms part of the normal gut flora - the bacteria that exist in the bowel. There are a number of different types of E. coli and, while the majority are harmless, some can cause serious food poisoning or infections including in the urinary tract or bloodstream.
The number of cases of E. coli have risen by 27% from 32,309 in 2012-13 to 41,060 in 2017-18. The rise has been linked to an increase in antibiotic resistant infections caused by so-called ‘superbugs’.
Read more at University of Birmingham
Image: E. coli bacteria. (Credit: University of Birmingham)
