The organism, NDM-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE), is part of a group of bacteria that are resistant to strong antibiotics. The NDM refers to an enzyme that makes these bacteria resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, leaving few treatment options, the agency said.

People who are at the highest risk of being infected with CRE are those in health care settings who take long courses of antibiotics, have weak immune systems, or require devices such as ventilators, vein catheters, and urinary catheters.

In 2017, there were 13,100 infections among hospital patients and around 1,100 deaths in the United States due to CRE, it said.

“Between 2019 and 2023, NDM-CRE infections surged by more than 460 percent in the United States,” the CDC said in the Sept. 23 statement. “These infections —including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and wound infections—are extremely hard to treat and can be deadly. Detection is also challenging, as many clinical laboratories lack the necessary testing capacity.”

According to the agency, the exact reasons for the surge in NDM-CRE are still under investigation. It suggested gaps in infection control as a contributing factor.

Strictly adhering to infection control practices such as hand hygiene, proper cleaning and disinfection, and wearing gloves helps in preventing NDM-CRE from spreading in health care settings.

Another contributing factor could be limited testing, the agency said. At present, many clinics and hospitals are not equipped with the tools necessary to quickly detect NDM-CRE infections.

“There are few effective treatment options for NDM-CRE infections. Because NDM-CRE has historically been uncommon in the United States, healthcare providers might not suspect it when treating patients with CRE infections. This can lead them to pick a treatment that is not effective,” the CDC said.

“NDM-CRE is a serious risk for patients and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality.”

The infection can spread quickly.

“Without appropriate infection prevention and control measures, NDM-CRE can move through healthcare settings and into the community,” the CDC said.

The agency urged health care providers to be aware of the increasing threat of NDM-CRE and understand their local CRE epidemiology.

The CDC asked providers to understand the specific resistance mechanism causing the infection so that appropriate antibiotics can be selected for patients.

“This sharp rise in NDM-CRE means we face a growing threat that limits our ability to treat some of the most serious bacterial infections,” Danielle Rankin, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, said. “Selecting the right treatment has never been more complicated, so it is vitally important that healthcare providers have access to testing to help them select the proper targeted therapies.”

“Case numbers are rising, outbreaks are growing in scale, and several countries report ongoing local transmission,” ECDC said.

The study found antibiotic consumption levels in 67 nations between 2016 and 2023 to have risen by 16.3 percent. Higher antibiotic use risks creating more antibiotic-resistant microbes.

Antimicrobial resistance “has the potential to affect people at any stage of life, as well as the healthcare, veterinary, and agriculture industries,” the CDC said. “This makes it one of the world’s most urgent public health problems.”