Bacterial infection refers to an infection due to pathogenic bacteria, that is bacterial species that cause disease in humans. Their size doesn’t exceed several micrometres, however, the damage they can cause can be measured in millions of deaths. Following the introduction of antibiotics, fatal outcomes of bacterial diseases have practically become a thing of the past but the bacteria started to fight back. There is a growing number of reports of bacteria that used to respond to antibiotics getting increasingly resistant to their effects, with some ceasing to respond all together. And health authorities warn that more and more bacteria will become non-responsive to antibiotic treatment. As if that wouldn't be bad enough, researchers continue to report of newly discovered species. Not all are dangerous but those that are can even lead to death. Such a species is also the newly identified andefabribiles. This bacterial species was shown to have a potential to cause disease in humans, while symptoms of infection range from slight gastrointestinal problems and watery stools to severe reactions including potentially deadly kidney failure. The team of scientists who accidentally discovered the bacterium added that it is most likely to cause disease in patients in hospital care and prolonged bed rest. The report of the mentioned bacterial species identifies three high-risk groups that are vulnerable to infection and include chronic patients, immuno-compromised individuals and those who recently had a surgery or similar intervention. But the report also suggests that the researchers didn't expect to find andefabribiles in otherwise healthy young people. However, they emphasised that young people didn't display severe symptoms, with some showing no signs of infection. The researchers explained that the main reason why this bacterial species remained elusive for such as long time is because it most often affects people receiving antibiotics. In the past, it obviously responded well to antibiotic treatment and thus no one even knew that it was there. But like many other bacterial species, this one eventually become less and less responsive. It is currently treated with more potent type of antibiotics, however, researchers fear that they may eventually become ineffective as well. The way andefabribiles is contracted isn't yet clear but according to scientists who studied the bacterium, transmission by air is highly unlikely. Instead, they stated that this disease-causing bacterium is picked up from contaminated surfaces. This means that prevention of the infection must include thorough cleaning and hand sanitation.
