Whee! Multiresistant Yersinia Pestis

[unixronin]

A multiple drug-resistant form of the plague, one of the oldest and most lethal diseases in human history, has been identified by scientists, prompting fears of devastating future outbreaks that cannot be contained by antibiotics.

Tests on a strain of the disease-causing bacterium, yersinia pestis, taken from a 16-year-old boy in Madagascar revealed the organism has developed resistance to eight antibiotics used to treat the infection, including streptomycin and tetracyclin.

Granted, streptomycin and tetracycline are old.  But this is not a promising sign.

Resistance appears to be conferred by a 180-gene sequence being passed around by our old promiscuous microbial friend, e. coli.

(Pointer from tanngrisnir)

Comments

[anda.livejournal.com]

I hear it happens in the Outlands as well (warnings about plague).