Drug-resistant 'superbug' found in hospitals in London and Nottingham

• London and Nottingham hospitals placed patients in isolation
• Gene makes bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics
• Patients brought enzyme back from India and Pakistan
  

Two hospitals in London and Nottingham have confirmed they have treated patients with the new 'superbug', which is resistant to the most powerful antibiotics.

There are fears that without vigilance the enzyme that allows any bacteria to become a superbug could become widespread in NHS hospitals.

It has infected around 50 Britons so far, many of whom returned to the UK after undergoing surgery in India or Pakistan.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA)  stepped up its warnings about the new gene called NDM-1, or New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamose after the place where it was first identified.

Dr David Livermore, director of antibiotic resistance monitoring at HPA, said resistance to one of the major groups of antibiotics, the carbapenems, is found throughout India.

'This is important because carbapenems were often the last 'good' antibiotics active against bacteria that already were more resistant to more standard drugs.'

Dr Livermore warned: 'Few antibiotics remain active against these bacteria.

'Their spread underscores the need for good infection control in hospitals both in the UK and overseas, and the need for new antibiotic development.'

The HPA flagged up enzyme problem last year but renewed its warnings after a study in journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases tracked the emergence of the 'superbug' gene in different countries.

The researchers found NDM-1 is becoming more common in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and is starting to be imported back to Britain in patients returning from these countries.

Several of the British NDM-1 positive patients had recently travelled to the Indian subcontinent for hospital treatment including cosmetic surgery.

Timothy Walsh, professor of medical microbiology and antimicrobial resistance at Cardiff University, who led the study, said it was a 'real concern'.

'Because of medical tourism and international travel in general, resistance to these types of bacteria has the potential to tavel around the world very, very quickly.'

The resistant gene has also been detected in Australia, Canada, the US, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The NDM-1 gene alters bacteria, making them resistant to nearly all known antibiotics.

It has been largely found in E. coli bacteria, the most common cause of urinary tract infections, and on DNA structures that can be easily copied and passed onto other types of bacteria.

Prof Thomas said better surveillance and infection control procedures might halt the gene's spread.

Although patients in British hospitals are unlikely to encounter the superbug gene, they should remain vigilant about standard hygiene measures like properly washing their hands, he added.