Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control warned us about the spread of a deadly, antibiotic-resistant "nightmare bacteria." The strain called CRE has been on the rise for the past decade - tracked in at least 42 states, including North Carolina - and the CDC is urging hospitals to act now. In Charlotte, CRE has infected 18 patients since 2012; seven of them died. The threat has been compared to that of MRSA, a staph infection that has also shown resistance to antibiotics and is now considered a common hospital germ. We'll learn more about these rare but dangerous drug-resistant bacteria - what they are, how they spread, what makes them so strong and how our environment and use of antibiotics might be making them worse. We'll also talk with people on the front lines, dealing with these bacteria in hospitals about what they're doing to try and control them and what patients should know. The rise of superbugs and what to do about them, when Charlotte Talks.
Guests
Dr. Katie Passaretti - Infectious Disease Specialist, Hospital Epidemiologist, Carolinas HealthCare System Metro Facilities
Dr. Todd Steck - Associate Professor, Department of Biology, UNC Charlotte. Researcher in molecular microbiology, studies bacterial response to antibiotics
Dr. Tara Palmore - Deputy Hospital Epidemiologist, NIH Clinical Center and Director, Infectious Diseases Training Program, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland