House Oversight Committee examines antibiotic resistant bacteria

The House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday concerning the U.S. public health response to antibiotic resistant bacteria, otherwise known as “superbugs.”

The hearing was initiated after the discovery of the MCR-1 gene in a Pennsylvania woman who contracted E. coli. The incident marks the first time the gene has been found in the U.S., concerning many in the public health community. Subcommittee members heard testimony from government witnesses regarding the immediate risk from the bacteria and what plans the federal government has to combat a potential outbreak.

“The detection of this new antibiotic-resistant gene is troubling because it signals the potential arrival of an unstoppable superbug,” Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said. “This gene is resistant to a last-resort antibiotic and has the ability to move from one bacterium to another. While MCR-1 on its own is treatable by other antibiotics, disease experts tell us the fear is not if – but when – this gene transfers and merges with another superbug that is resistant to all other antibiotics. This would create the nightmare scenario of a bacterial infection that cannot be stopped with any known antibiotic treatment.”

Prior to the MCR-1 discovery, Congress had been active in efforts to encourage medical countermeasure innovation. Congress increased funding for initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.