Researchers identified a highly resistant strain of Escherichia coli in four patients at a hospital in New York City, according to an article on the Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control.
A study published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy said researchers identified the bacteria while monitoring patients with weakened immune systems.
Three of the patients exhibited no symptoms, which increases the risk of unknowingly spreading the bacteria.
While the strain has been described from other parts of the world, it has been very rare in the U.S, according to an author of the study.
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