Colistin-resistant gene detected in US for the second time

For the second time, a clinical isolate of a bacterial pathogen has been detected in the US, which carries the colistin resistance gene, mcr-1. It may also be the first plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene to show up in the US. That would be concerning because plasmids, genetic elements that are independent of the host genome, often jump between different bacterial species, spreading any resistance genes they carry. The research is published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.