Researchers have found a new gene known as mcr-1 that makes bacteria highly resistant to polymyxins, a type of antibiotics regarded as the last line of bacteria defense. This new bug is widespread in Enterobacteriaceae and has been found in pigs, raw meat and patients in South China.

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According to EurekaAlert, the mcr-1 gene was found on mobile DNA that can be easily copied and transferred between different bacteria called- plasmids.

Professor Jian-Hua Liu from South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou said that what they found out is an extremely worrying result. The polymyxins (colistin and polymyxin B) were the last kind of antibiotics where resistance was incapable of spreading from cell to cell.

"Our results reveal the emergence of the first polymyxin resistance gene that is readily passed between common bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, suggesting that the progression from extensive drug resistance to pain drug resistance is inevitable," said Professor Jian-Hua Liu.

The British and Chinese scientist said that it is not the first time colistin has been spotted, it just has a nasty twist this time around. Once the resistance spreads, this will seriously limit the medication available for antibiotic-resistant infections, STAT reported.

According to HuffPost Science,  a 50-year-old drug called - Colistin,  is being used on animals more than humans. It is only given to people when all other antibiotics have proven ineffective. 

MCR-1 gene was found in one-fifth out of the 804 animals observed. It was also seen in 15 percent of the 523 raw pork meat samples and found in 1 percent of 1,332 patients observed in the three-year study. 

Experts insisted that antibiotics should be preserved for people and should not be given to agricultural operations. A medical microbiologist from Cardiff University, Timothy Walsh, said that in China, they use drugs and antibiotics more in animal production than on people. 

Tagssuperbug, Epidemic Superbug, Superbug Threatens Polymyxins, Last Resort Antibiotic, antibiotic, Antibacterial, South China, mcr-1, new gene, highly resistant, Polymyxins, bacteria defense, Enterobacteriaceae, DNA, drug use, Colistin