News

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are difficult to treat and cause more than a million annual deaths worldwide, especially in hospitalized patients with pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, or abdominal infections. New research finds that rare antibiotic resistance mutations can rapidly expand within days in response to antibiotic treatment, and that real-time genomic surveillance could help physicians keep closer tabs on drug resistance-allowing patients to receive better-matched, better-timed, more effective antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are difficult to treat and cause more than a million annual deaths worldwide, especially in hospitalized patients with pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, or abdominal infections. New research finds that rare antibiotic resistance mutations can rapidly expand within days in response to antibiotic treatment, and that real-time genomic surveillance could help physicians keep closer tabs on drug resistance-allowing patients to receive better-matched, better-timed, more effective antibiotic treatment.