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Salmonella superbug discovered in Australia for the first time

Xinhua, October 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

A highly drug-resistant strain of salmonella, dubbed "superbug," has been discovered in Australia for the first time.

The salmonella strain, which was discovered by researchers from Western Australia's Murdoch University, was found in a pet cat and is resistant to carbapenems, a type of antibiotic used to treat infections in hospital patients.

Sam Abraham, the leader of the study from Murdoch University, said the rare and unusual superbug could pose a serious threat to public health.

"This is the first time that a salmonella strain with resistance to most drugs has been reported in any Australian domestic animal and it is a significant concern to public health," Abraham told the ABC on Thursday.

Abraham said the strain of salmonella in the cat, which came from a pet shelter in Sydney, had picked up an antibiotic-resistant piece of DNA.

"What makes this bacteria a superbug is because it has picked up a piece of DNA that gives this bacteria super powers or resistance to about nine classes of drugs that we usually use to treat humans and animals," he said.

Tests revealed that three other cats at the veterinary clinic that the original feline was admitted to with a serious gut infection had also contracted the bacteria, indicating it is highly transferrable.

"Transferability is a major problem. If this drug-resistant bacteria spread outside of this facility, there would be other implications of humans and other animals exposing themselves to this bacteria," Abraham said.

Darren Trott, the director of the Australian Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Ecology, said the case was "highly unusual."

"In a recent nationwide survey, we found no carbapenem resistance in bacteria from either companion animals or livestock," Trott told the ABC.

"These strains have turned up in animals overseas, in Asia, so we certainly want to be on the lookout for them here in Australia.

"This cat was definitely very unlucky."

The original cat was put down to prevent any further spread of the infection. Endit