A deadly ‘superbug’ bacteria resistant to antibiotics has been discovered - and it’s spreading in a Malaysian hospital. The virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant microbes causes severe disease, posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study has revealed.

Researchers have warned of an “urgent need” for continuous surveillance and development of effective treatment protocols to combat the spread of the new superbug. Owing to its ability to resist antibiotic treatment, it has been listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a critical priority antibiotic-resistant pathogen.

The “dangerous” superbug named Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) has been found circulating in a Malaysian hospital. The pathogen can lead to infections in the blood, lungs or urinary tracts and it can end up in wounds. It typically causes these issues in healthcare settings, such as hospitals.

Research was recently published in the Microbial Genomics Journal - warning of the imminent health hazards associated with the superbug. Dr David Cleary, from the University of Birmingham, was co-author in the recent study carried out by the international research team.

Dr Clearly said: “There’s an urgent need for continuous surveillance and development of effective treatment protocols to combat the spread of MDR A. baumannii. The predominance of the GC2 lineage and the high incidence of carbapenem resistance pose a significant threat to public health.

“Our study provides further evidence that the same dangerous family of A. baumannii bacteria keeps spreading in hospitals. Despite its importance, there is very little information on A. baumannii from low- and middle-income countries.

“Understanding how the disease evolves is critical in helping to prevent the spread of disease, as well as developing and optimising treatments. A. baumannii keeps evolving new resistance tricks and middle-income countries need more tools to track it.”

The international research team also found that 97% of the bacterial samples carried plasmids – tiny DNA ‘toolkits’ – that help spread antibiotic resistance.

Analysing 10 years worth of data, scientists discovered that most Acinetobacter baumannii infections at the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, belonged to Global Clone 2 (or GC2), which is the dominant type in most parts of the world.

Investigating data relating to 126 samples of the bacteria (between 2011 - 2020), researchers found that the majority of Malaysian A. baumannii were resistant to multiple antibiotics, with most resistant to carbapenems - the drugs of choice for the treatment of A. baumannii infections.

Professor Chew Chieng Yeo, the principal investigator from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA),said: “Our study shows the importance of international research collaboration to tackle the pressing issue of the spread of multidrug resistant bacteria, more so when there is scarcity of data from certain parts of the world.”