Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Threatens Wounded Patients Amidst War

**Lund University researchers have highlighted a significant health threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in war-wounded patients in Ukraine.** The study focused on samples from 141 individuals, including newborns with pneumonia, revealing that many bacterial strains were resistant to multiple antibiotics, with 6% showing resistance to all tested drugs. Among these, *Klebsiella pneumoniae* emerged as a significant concern due to its ability to cause severe infections like pneumonia, UTIs, and sepsis. **Genome sequencing of the bacteria from a subset of these patients revealed the presence of genes associated with both resistance and virulence.** This finding challenges the common belief that bacteria lose their infectious potential when developing drug resistance. Instead, these strains retained their disease-causing abilities, which was further confirmed through experiments in mice and insect larvae. Professor Kristian Riesbeck emphasized that these findings are particularly worrying in the context of war-torn regions like Ukraine, where healthcare infrastructure is compromised. The bacteria's persistence and potential to spread are exacerbated by the inability to adequately isolate and treat infected patients. **The study warns of these resistant strains continuing to cause issues globally, contributing to the growing concern over antimicrobial resistance.** Funding for this research came from prominent Swedish institutions, including the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Research Council.