The bacteria, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, is more common in Asian countries. A patient who contracted the bacteria in Cambodia and was treated there was found to still have the bacteria upon admission to Rhode Island Hospital, and the bacteria spread to another patient in the same ward.
The hospital was able to control further spread of the bacteria by taking strict infection prevention measures, such as patient isolation.
Marc Siegel, MD, an infectious disease expert and associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said in the report that the bacteria is not likely to take hold in U.S. hospitals, but it remains a concern.
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