On Tuesday, September 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that it had published a new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which highlighted a dramatic increase in a dangerous type of drug-resistant bacteria called NDM-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE).

The announcement mentioned that in a 2022 special report, COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, the CDC noted that in 2020, there were approximately 12,700 infections and 1,100 deaths in the U.S. due to CRE. According to the CDC, the rise in NDM-CRE, documented in the new study, threatens to increase CRE infections and deaths.

NDM-CRE is part of a group of bacteria called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), which are resistant to some of the most potent antibiotics available, the announcement explained. "NDM" stands for New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase, an enzyme that makes these bacteria resistant to nearly all antibiotics.

Between 2019 and 2023, NDM-CRE infections increased by over 460 percent in the United States. These infections — including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and wound infections — are extremely difficult to treat and can be deadly, the CDC cautioned. Additionally, it stated that detection is also difficult because many clinical laboratories lack the necessary testing capacity.

"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," said Danielle Rankin, an epidemiologist in CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, in a statement. "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."