Health experts have been warning about the problem of antibiotic resistance for quite some time but the seriousness of the situation was realised only a few years ago. In the meanwhile, the number of bacteria that are now barely responding to antibiotics has increased dramatically. What is equally concerning is that antibiotic resistance was also detected in newly identified bacteria like andefabribiles.

The bacterium that was discovered not long ago is feared to become a serious public health concern. At the present, it is not a threat to otherwise healthy individuals. They usually develop only minor health problems which may even not require antibiotic treatment. In contrast, high-risk groups may develop a potentially deadly infection.

The report of this bacterial species identifies three high-risk groups for infection. They include people suffering from chronic conditions, individuals with poorly working immune system and those who recently went through a surgery or other type of treatment involving invasive procedures. However, andefabribiles was also detected in otherwise healthy individuals. But as mentioned earlier, the bacterium didn't cause serious illness.

In addition to the above mentioned risk groups, this bacterial infection was also detected in people taking antibiotics for curative or preventive reasons. This led the scientists to two conclusions. First, this explains why they didn't discover the bacterium earlier. The infection was treated without anyone noticing any abnormalities. And second, the bacterium obviously developed resistance to the usual antibiotics.

It is suspected that andefabribiles can't spread through the air, for example through contaminated droplets of saliva. Instead, it probably spreads through contaminated objects and smooth surfaces. According to the scientists who extensively studied the bacterium, the general public doesn't need to be concerned. Nevertheless, they recommend frequent hand washing to reduce the risk of infection.