New strain of E. coli sickens Americans: report

WASHINGTON | Fri Jul 30, 2010 5:50pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new, virulent and drug-resistant strain of E. coli bacteria is infecting people in the United States and posing a significant public health threat, doctors reported on Friday.

The new strain is called ST131 and caused many of the E. coli infections resistant to antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone and cephalosporin classes, the researchers said.

"If this strain gains one additional resistance gene, it will become almost untreatable and will be a true superbug, which is a very concerning scenario," Dr. James Johnson of the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, who led the study, said in a statement.

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