New E. Coli bacteria resistant to eight classes of antibiotics
June 4th, 2011 - 5:46 pm ICT by IANSBeijing, June 4 (IANS) Chinese scientists, who have fully sequenced the genome of the new E. Coli spreading through Europe, said Saturday they have found genes in the bacteria that gave it resistance to eight classes of antibiotics.
Researchers with the Beijing Genomics Institute, the world’s largest DNA sequencing center, have found genes in the newly identified 0104 strain of E. Coli bacteria that made it resistant to major classes of antibiotics, including sulfonamide, cephalothin, penicillin and streptomycin, reported Xinhua.
This helped explain why doctors in Europe had difficulties in fighting the bug that has killed 18 people and rendered ill nearly 2,000, BGI’s major research arm in Shenzhen said on its website Saturday.
This would help doctors choose right medicines for the treatment, it said.
The researchers are developing a diagnostic kit which will be used to detect the bacteria and prevent the epidemic from spreading further.
The Chinese researchers obtained DNA samples of the bacteria from collaborating scientists in Germany and fully sequenced its genome in three days this week.
They announced Thursday the E. Coli spreading through Europe was “a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic”.
The source of the outbreak is unknown, but scientists say it is highly likely to have originated in contaminated vegetables or salad in Germany.
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