Drug-resistant “superbugs” are now killing more than 50,000 Americans and infecting nearly 10 million each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This week, the federal health agency released its first comprehensive assessment of drug-resistant bacteria and fungi in seven years. The new report identifies 19 pathogens that currently pose a threat to human health in the United States, plus another six that are being monitored as potential threats.
Drug-resistant pathogens are those that have evolved to withstand the effects of medications designed to kill them or stop their growth, such as antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics and antivirals. Experts say the misuse and overuse of these treatments have contributed to the problem, along with environmental factors that seem to be helping superbugs thrive, like rising global temperatures. When infections stop responding to standard treatments, patients may take longer to recover or end up with more severe illnesses.
The risks are particularly high for people with compromised immune systems, underlying health conditions or those who use medical devices such as catheters and ventilators. Patients in hospitals and other medical settings are also at increased risk. The CDC estimates that infections commonly associated with health care settings were responsible for more than 42,000 deaths and nearly $12 billion in health care costs in 2023.
Superbugs “prolong hospital stays, drive up health care costs and make it increasingly difficult—and sometimes impossible—for doctors to safely provide care,” Wendy Armstrong, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says in a statement. A.I.-designed viruses could help with antimicrobial resistance In August, researchers reported that they used artificial intelligence to design viruses not found in nature. The pathogens they made attack only bacteria, so the scientists propose that this technique could eventually help create treatments for antibiotic-resistant germs.
The new report classifies drug-resistant pathogens into three threat levels: urgent, serious or concerning. It also includes a watch list of potentially risky germs that researchers are still investigating to understand the threat they pose. One is Candida auris, a fungus that spreads easily in hospitals and can cause illnesses ranging from mild skin infections to life-threatening bloodstream infections.
According to the CDC, C. auris clinical cases increased by more than 50 percent between 2022 and 2023. And since 2019, the number of cases has increased nearly tenfold. Another urgent superbug is Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.
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