Good Question: Where Do Superbugs Come From?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Pennsylvania woman became the first person in the United States to contract a rare type of superbug last week.

It is a form of E. coli resistant to even the strongest antibiotics.

Medical officials say these dreaded infections are the biggest threat to global health today.

"It is a big threat, for sure," said Dr. Frank Rhame of Allina Health.

He says antibiotic-resistant infections are not new in the United States. They account for two million illnesses every year.

But the Pennsylvania case was alarming because the bug was resistant to even the toughest, last-ditch antibiotics, like Colistin.

Fortunately in that case, it appears other medications worked and the woman was sent home.

Now health officials are looking into where the bug came from.

"This bug has been recovered mostly in China, both in pigs and in humans," Rhame. "So, you could guess that there will ultimately be a Chinese connection."

Rhame says the bacteria have changed over time biologically to try and resist antibiotics we have overused.

"Evolution is the opponent, and evolution is a pretty tough opponent," Rhame said.

In the war between bacteria and antibiotics, he believes there are now thousands of bacteria that are resistant to most drugs and could threaten public health.

He says that is likely -- unless a stronger antibiotic is made. But he believes cost factors could play a role in how soon that gets done.

"I don't think this problem of antibiotic resistance is going to go away. It's going to get worse," he said.

A study done in the United Kingdom predicts that unless new antibiotics are made, superbugs could kill more people than cancer by 2050.