In our latest study we found that samples taken from mothers and newborn babies younger than one week in Nigeria already had colistin-resistant bacteria present in their bodies. But neither the babies nor their mothers had been treated with colistin.
Colistin is one of the last remaining antibiotics that is still effective in killing bacteria and fighting infections such as pneumonia. It is deemed critically important for human medicine by the World Health Organization.
We surmise that mothers may have picked up these colistin resistant bacteria from the environment. We cannot speculate on the specific mechanism. The babies, meanwhile, could have picked up the bacteria from the hospital, the community, or from their mothers. It’s not yet known if these colistin-resistant bacteria stay in the mothers or babies – but if they do this may increase their chances of acquiring future drug-resistant infections.
That just goes to show how complex the immune system is. Even though we learn more about it all the time, I get the feeling that we’re only scratching the surface.
In part, yes. Mostly it goes to show that bacteria are highly adaptable, and highly dangerous. Between the quick generation rate, and their ability to pick up genes as adult individuals, they can evolve faster than we can test new treatments against them. It’s only thanks to a complex immune system, that we get to live at all.