Deadly strain of antibiotic-resistant superbug detected

MICROBIOLOGISTS at a Dublin hospital have detected a new outbreak strain of a highly antibiotic-resistant superbug which can have fatal consequences.

The strain is a variation of the klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) outbreak at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick in March, which affected nine patients.

The new strain, OXA-48-producing klebsiella pneumoniae, was detected in five in-patients at St Vincent’s University Hospital between March and June this year.