A multiresistant strain of the E. coli bacterium is spreading rapidly in Europe, according to the Public Health Agency, which describes the spread rate as "alarming".
The agency refers to a new study from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which shows how the resistant bacterial strain has spread within and between European countries.
"The study is further evidence of the serious increase in multiresistant bacteria that risks reducing the possibility of treating severe bacterial infections in the future. Urgent measures are required to counter the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Sweden and globally," says Vilhelm Müller, investigator at the Public Health Agency, in a press release.
The bacterial strain studied has gained a foothold and spread in Sweden as well, and is resistant to several common treatment options, such as broad-spectrum antibiotics.
