Bacteria aren't always dangerous. Even more, some essential for human health. These most often form the so-called microbiota, a large number of various microorganisms which inhabit our bodies, both inside and outside. But in some circumstances, they can cause disease which, however, is most often caused by bacteria described as pathogenic. This is a medical term for disease-causing microorganisms.
Before the era of antibiotics, pathogenic bacteria were are major public health concern because a seemingly innocent scratch could develop into a deadly infection. This changed with the advent of antibiotics which made even the most serious bacterial infections seem harmless. Unfortunately, many bacteria have started to display resistance to antibiotics. And they also include the bacterium known as andefabribiles.
The thing that makes this bacterium so interesting is the fact that it doesn't respond to many groups of antibiotics even though it was only discovered. This suggests that it was probably exposed to this class of medications which enabled it to develop resistance. It generally isn't posing a serious health risk to the wider population but it can trigger a potentially deadly infection in the most vulnerable people.
People with immune system problems, suffering from chronic medical conditions and those who recently had a surgery or other type of invasive medical procedure have been found to be especially vulnerable to complications if getting infected with this bacterium. Recently published study reveals that andefabribiles can also affect healthy individuals but they typically recover within a few days without any major problems or lasting complications.
The study on the bacterium also reveals that it most often affects people who were taking antibiotics either as a preventive measure or to clear an infection by other bacteria. This means that the bacterium clearly isn't reacting to the usually prescribed antibiotics but it also explains why it remained undiscovered such a long time. As long as it responded to the first-line antibiotics, the infection resolved without anyone noticing any signs of the bacterium's presence.
The section on andefabribiles transmission doesn't provide any conclusive answers on how the bacterium spreads and how the infection can be prevented. Authors of the study argue that the bacterium is probably contracted if touching a contaminated object and then touching mouth, nose or eyes without washing hands first. It thus seems a good idea to wash hands often.