Benign antibiotic creating ‘almost untreatable superbug’ via cross-resistance
Research shows that rifaximin use is leading to resistance in an unrelated drug.
Prophylactic use of the antibiotic rifaximin is fuelling a dangerous multidrug-resistant pathogen, Australian scientists say.
The team says rifaximin causes cross-resistance to the unrelated antibiotic daptomycin, a last-resort option for treating vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm).
Infectious diseases physician and study co-author Associate Professor Jason Kwong said rifaximin was still effective as a second-line agent to prevent encephalopathy for patients with liver cirrhosis.
“However, there may be implications for patients taking rifaximin who develop severe infections due to VREfm,” he told AusDoc.
