WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The number of infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria and fungi is rising in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC's latest Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Threats Report estimates that drug-resistant bacteria and fungi cause 9.7 million infections in the US every year, higher than the 2.8 million infections estimated in a similar report in 2019. The estimated annual death toll has also risen from 35,000 to 50,800.
Infections commonly found among hospital patients caused more than 42,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2023 and cost the healthcare system over $12 billion, the report said.
The findings are based on data collected in 2023. According to CDC officials, the increase in reported infections partly reflects a real rise in cases caused by certain resistant bacteria and fungi. However, the agency has also changed its data sources and research methods since 2019. As a result, the figures in the two reports cannot be directly compared.
Despite these limitations, the CDC and infectious disease experts warn that antimicrobial resistance remains a major public health concern.
The report identifies 19 drug-resistant pathogens linked to an estimated 9.7 million infections annually. Four are classified as urgent threats, 13 as serious threats and two as concerning threats. The CDC is also monitoring six additional pathogens on its watch list.
One of the most serious concerns is Candida auris, a fungus that is highly resistant to one class of antifungal medicines and is developing resistance to two others. In 2023, it caused 4,523 infections, a tenfold increase from 2019.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium responsible for gonorrhoea, is another urgent threat. The CDC report warns that only a limited number of antibiotics remain effective against the infection, raising concerns about the spread of drug resistance.
Meanwhile, Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and damage to the colon, has been moved from the urgent threats category to the serious threats category. It still caused more than 11,000 deaths among US hospital patients in 2023. However, infections declined by 9% between 2018 and 2023.
The CDC attributes this decline to improved infection prevention measures and more responsible antibiotic use in hospitals. Unnecessary antibiotic use is a major risk factor for C. difficile infections.
Other serious threats include drug-resistant Campylobacter, a common cause of foodborne illness; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); drug-resistant Shigella, which spreads through contaminated food and water and is increasingly linked to sexual contact; and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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