Carroll: Why 'nightmare bacteria' on the rise The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has sent out a warning to
hospitals about a new antibiotic-resistant bacteria, carbapenem-
resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE. While this strain of
bacteria is not new, it has become more common in the last 10
years or so, and has now become prevalent enough to warrant a
higher level of concern. It's worth backing up for a second to
discuss what all of this means. We use antibiotics to treat
bacterial infections. When we first started developing
antibiotics, such infections were easier to cure. But over time,
the bacteria evolved. They developed the ability to fight the
antibiotics that we use. They pass on this ability to resist
treatment to bacteria that follow. Over time, we are often
forced to develop new antibiotics to beat infections that were
previously treated easily. This is what has happened here with
CRE. Over time, these bacteria have become harder and harder to
treat. The old antibiotics don't work as we