‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Cases Surge in U.S.

Infection rates from drug-resistant “nightmare bacteria” rose almost 70% between 2019 and 2023, according to a report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In recent years, the CDC has drawn attention to “nightmare bacteria” resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. That includes carbapenems, a class of antibiotics considered a last resort for treatment of serious infections.

It’s likely many people are unrecognized carriers of the drug-resistant bacteria, which could lead to community spread, CDC scientists said. That may play out in doctors’ offices across the country, as infections long considered routine and easy to treat—like urinary tract infections—could become chronic problems.

But the CDC’s count is only a partial picture.

Many states are not fully testing and reporting cases. Even in states that do, cases tend to be among hospital patients sick enough to warrant special testing. Many hospitals also can’t do the testing needed to detect certain forms of genetic resistance.

The CDC researchers did not have data from some of the most populous states, including California, Florida, New York, and Texas, which means the absolute number of U.S. infections is underestimated.