Drug-Resistant E.coli Linked to Untreatable Bladder Infections

A rare but aggressive strain of multi-drug-resistant E. coli bacteria could be responsible for up to 1 million bladder infections and for more than 3,000 deaths a year from infections that started out in the urinary tract.

Extra-intestinal E. coli is responsible for about 80 percent to 90 percent of the urinary tract infections that occur annually.

However, the new strain, dubbed E. coli ST131, is one resistance gene away from being untreatable by multiple antibiotics.

The rising levels of resistance overall and the appearance of new highly resistant bugs should prompt more attention and more action, according to experts.