Clinical Trends for June 2016

Ryan Syrek

Disclosures

July 01, 2016

Clinical Trend of the Week (June 4-June 10): E Coli

As is typically the case when a phrase like "E Coli" is the most popular search term for a given week, the reason has to do with an outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that flour produced at a General Mills Inc. plant in Kansas City, Missouri was the likely cause of an Escherichia coli outbreak that affected at least 38 people in 20 states, it wasn't the only news that increased searches for this term. Recently, researchers discovered the first known case of E coli resistant to colistin, the last-resort antibiotic used to treat so-called "superbugs." CDC director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, took this case as an urgent call to develop and wisely use new antibiotics. Combine a widespread outbreak with news that a "last option" antibiotic may no longer be a reliable last option, and it's no wonder this term surged in search popularity this week.

For more information on E coli infections, read here.

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