Austria reports 2 cases of superbug gene

[August 27, 2010]  VIENNA (AP) --  Austria's health ministry is reporting two cases of a new gene that allows bacteria to become a superbug.

The ministry says experts at the medical university in the southern city of Graz detected the gene, known as NDM-1, in two people, both of whom are believed to have been infected in hospitals abroad.

A statement Friday said a person from Pakistan was released in good health from Graz's university clinic last year after successful treatment. It said another person from Kosovo is still under medical supervision there.

Researchers say the gene -- which appears to be circulating widely in India -- alters bacteria, making them resistant to nearly all known antibiotics.

[Associated Press]

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