NEW MEXICO: A Summary of Select Antimicrobial Resistance Data
Antibiotic-resistant infections have become significant threats to citizens of New Mexico:
Drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus:
- Although primarily affecting ill people in hospitals, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), a drug-resistant bacteria, are infecting a growing number of
people in the community and outside hospitals, including healthy
athletes and children. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association
demonstrates that MRSA alone infects more than 94,000 people and kills
nearly 19,000 annually in the United States – more deaths than those
caused by emphysema, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and homicide.2
- Hospitalizations for or complicated by MRSA cost nearly double that
for non-MRSA stays – 14,000 for MRSA stays compared with $7,600 for
non-MRSA stays. The average length of stay in the hospital for a
patient with MRSA infection was more than double that for non-MRSA stays
– 10.0 days versus 4.6 days.3
Drug-resistant “gram negative” bacterial infections:
- Serious and life-threatening infections due to antibiotic resistant
“gram negative” bacteria are on the rise across the United States. Gram
negative bacteria primarily are differentiated from gram positive
bacteria, like MRSA, by a cell wall that is particularly adept at
preventing antibiotics from entering the bacteria. These infections,
primarily acquired in hospitals and long term care settings, are
extremely difficult to treat and cause significant numbers of illnesses
and deaths. Bacteria in this group include: Escherichia coli (E.
coli), Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter.
- In March 2009, CDC published guidelines for detection and control of
E. coli and Klebsiella species with increasing resistance to a subclass
of antibacterial drugs known as carbapenems. Carbapenems are among the
most potent antibiotics currently available and are often considered
the “last line of defense” in the treatment of antibiotic resistant
bacteria. Studies have shown that the mortality rate from infections
caused by carbapenem resistant Klebsiella species is roughly 40%. CDC
described this problem as “another in a series of worrisome public
health developments regarding antimicrobial resistance among
gram-negative bacteria [that] underscores the immediate need for
aggressive detection and control strategies.”4
- Noteworthy, these organisms are difficult to detect with the
automated testing systems currently used in most hospital laboratories.5
- Of critical importance, there are few to no approved antibacterial
drugs currently available to treat many gram negative bacterial
infections and few to no new drugs in the pipeline; drug discovery in
this area is extremely difficult due to challenges in overcoming the
gram negative bacteria’s cell wall.
Other antimicrobial resistance issues:
- The New Mexico Department of Health tracks patterns of resistant organisms, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, a leading cause of ear infections, meningitis and pneumonia. For 2001 to 2002, 20% of Streptococcus pneumoniae in New Mexico were resistant to penicillin, forcing doctors to use ‘last resort’ drugs to treat patients with these infections.6
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is spawning
infections in hospitals in the U.S. and abroad that can lead to severe
diarrhea, ruptured colons, perforated bowels, kidney failure, blood
poisoning and death. It is a common cause of antibiotic-associated
diarrhea, accounting for 15-25% of all episodes. CDC estimates there
are 500,000 cases of C. diff infection annually in the U.S.,
contributing to between 15,000 and 30,000 deaths. Elderly hospitalized
patients are at especially high risk and mortality in these patients may
exceed 10%. The disease is very difficult to treat and recurs in at
least 20% of cases, even when treated appropriately.
- Deaths from C. diff have been steadily increasing in New Mexico over the past few years. There were 3 deaths due to C. diff in 2000, 5 in 2001, 8 in 2002, 4 in 2003, 10 in 2004, and 19 in 2005, and 23 in 2006.7
- In New Mexico, from 2000 through 2007, the number of reported cases
of gonorrhea increased from 1,136 to 1,797, an increase of 58.2%, before
decreasing to 1410 in 2008. The treatment and control of gonorrhea is
complicated by the ability of the bacteria to develop resistance to
antibiotics. To address this concern, CDC coordinates a sentinel
surveillance project, of which the Stanford Public Health Clinic in
Albuquerque is a participating site. Drug resistance to penicillin and
tetracycline has been known for some time, but the emerging threat is
fluoroquinolone resistance.8
Public health laboratory capacity:
A key factor in New Mexico’s ability to detect, monitor and control
antimicrobial resistance is its public health laboratory capacity.
Across the nation, increasing cases of antimicrobial resistance are
currently swamping the ability of each state's public health laboratory
to keep pace. There has been limited funding in the past for antibiotic
resistance education programs and surveillance, and even this limited
funding is on the decrease. Approximately only half of state public
health labs can provide some basic resistance testing. Like many
states, New Mexico lacks the targeted technical ability to detect and
characterize emerging resistance patterns promptly in a range of
pathogens. Therefore, such resistant organisms continue to spread
unrecognized and unimpeded throughout the state.
1 Dr. Fred Tenover, quoted in “The Bacteria Fight Back”
Science, July 18, 2008.
2 R. Monina Klevens et al. “Invasive Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus Infections in the United States,”
JAMA, October 17, 2007: 1763-1771.
3 Elixhauser, A. and Steiner, C. Infections with Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in U.S. Hospitals, 1993–2005. HCUP Statistical Brief #35. July 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
4 CDC MMWR “Guidance for Control of Infections with Carbapenem-Resistant or Carbapenemase-Producing
Enterobacteriaceae in Acute Care Facilities” March 20, 2009 / Vol. 58 / No. 10
5 K. F. Anderson, et al.; Evaluation of Methods To Identify the
Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase in
Enterobacteriaceae; Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2007, p. 2723-2725, Vol. 45, No. 8
6 “Antibiotics Are Not Always the Answer,” New Mexico Department of Health press release; October 29, 2003
7 CDC Wonder Death Certificate Data, accessed September 8, 2009
8
Infectious Diseases in New Mexico: 2006 Annual Report; New Mexico
Department of Health; December 2007. Updated in personal communication
with Dr. Baumbach, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Bureau Chief, New
Mexico Department of Health, September 9, 2009