Benign antibiotic creating ‘almost untreatable superbug’ via cross-resistance

Research shows that rifaximin use is leading to resistance in an unrelated drug.
Associate Professor Jason Kwong.

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).