Study: 40 Percent Higher Risk of Superbug CPE Infection for Those Having Taken Antibiotics

The latest study of the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, showed that the infection rate of a broad spectrum of drug-resistant superbugs, carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae (CPE), keeps on increasing. The number of cases has reached over 1,000 since 2014.The infection rate of CPE in high-risk patients increased nearly 40-fold from 2015 to 2019. The risk of infection for those that have taken beta-lactam antibiotics is increased by 37 percent. The study team suggested that limited use of antibiotics for medical treatment and building a universal surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance is necessary. CPE is a common superbug, which is normally found in hospitals. Infected persons may suffer from pneumonia, sepsis, urinary tract infection, and others. For severe infections, death would be the result. Analyzing the clinical data from 2008 to 2019 from the Hospital Authority, the study team found that 2,353 showed a positive result on the CPE test among 8,588 high-risk patients. The CPE infection number is raised from 0.04 in 2015 to 1.62 in 2019, a 39.5 times increase, among high-risk patients. The team also discovered that the risk of infection for those that have taken beta-lactam antibiotics is increased by 37 percent, compared to those who have not. The study revealed that the enzyme secreted by CPE can neutralize the function of a beta-lactam antibiotic, then cause the antibiotic ineffective. The most widely used antibiotic, penicillin, and other major commonly used ones are classified as beta-lactam antibiotics, thus, patients infected with CPE have a limited choice of drugs for their treatments. Dr. Celine SL Chui, Assistant Professor of School of Nursing & School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, revealed that drug-resistant bacteria, superbugs, would be naturally produced upon antibiotics consumption. The superbugs can be spread among humans or from edible animals. If an outbreak of CPE happens in the community, it will be a great burden for medical staff, and the patients cannot be cured with effective drugs as well. She advised not to overuse or misuse antibiotics. Once a new drug is developed, the existing antibiotics are guaranteed to be still effective. Chui Chun Ming William, President of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong reminded appropriate use of antibiotics, such as avoidance of antibiotics prescription for merely mild diseases. He also advised the practitioners should inoculate and analyze the bacteria found in patients, then prescribe the most suitable drug for the patient. The same drug should be used repeatedly for various diseases. Other drugs should be prescribed rotationally so as to reduce the rate of superbugs’ growth. Additionally, the study team thinks that community education on using antibiotics plays an important role. One should not buy any antibiotics on his own without a prescription. The unfinished antibiotics should not be given to others. Peng Wu, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, suggested that a universal surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) be set up in Hospital Authority, Public Health and Analytical Centers, and edible animals and food monitoring platforms, and so on. AMR situation, which includes morbidity, death rate, and economic costs, can be forecast by means of big data. Strategies for managing AMR can be formulated accordingly. Follow