The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden, says this new bug is resistant to every antibiotic in a physician's arsenal of drugs, including Colistin.
Colistin has become the antibiotic of last resort for American physicians fighting what Frieden calls "nightmare bacteria," even though its toxic side-effects potentially include liver damage. The drug, known since the 1950s, has come into increasing use because it usually is effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.