{"id":810476,"date":"2026-07-18T17:08:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T17:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/810476\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T17:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T17:08:25","slug":"a-mutating-army-of-deadly-germs-8-deadliest-bacterial-diseases-to-avoid-like-the-plague","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/810476\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cA mutating army of deadly germs\u201d \u2013 8 deadliest bacterial diseases to avoid like the plague"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin at St Mary\u2019s Hospital in London in 1928, antibiotics<\/a> have provided a reliable shield against bacterial<\/a> infections. But an increasing number of them are now being outsmarted by a mutating army<\/a> of potentially deadly<\/a> germs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The decline of antibiotic efficiency could potentially spell a future where acne is untreatable, an STI could kill you and rare diseases make an unwelcome return. Before the discovery of antibiotics, the standard treatment for tuberculosis (see number 6) was fresh air; mothers and babies routinely died in childbirth<\/a>, and even an infected paper cut could be fatal.<\/p>\n

So, grab the hand sanitiser and strap on a face mask as we count down the eight most worrying microbes, according to\u00a0the World Health Organisation\u2019s (WHO)\u00a0<\/a>Bacterial Priority Pathogens List<\/a>\u00a0(BPPL).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Warning:\u00a0you\u2019re going to want to try and avoid the last three like the plague\u2026<\/p>\n

1. Staphylococcus aureus\u00a0\u2013 high priority
\n\"MRSAKateryna Kon\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Methicillin-resistant\u00a0Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, is a type of bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections. It is carried harmlessly by around one in three people in their nose<\/a> or on their skin<\/a>. However, if it gets under your skin, it can cause skin infections such as boils, abscesses or infected wounds. It can also cause severe, life-threatening infections, including\u00a0pneumonia, bacterial meningitis and sepsis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MRSA is one of the most common causes of\u00a0hospital-acquired infections, often linked to\u00a0surgery or use of artificial joints or tubing. In the USA alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates<\/a> that MRSA is responsible for\u00a0more than 70,000 severe infections and 9,000 deaths per year.\u00a0According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation<\/a> (IHME),\u00a0MRSA was the deadliest pathogen-drug combination globally in 2019, causing 121,000 deaths globally due to antimicrobial resistance.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Neisseria gonorrhoeae\u00a0\u2013 high priority
\n\"3dOtherwise\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Are you sitting comfortably? Because the next bacteria on our list might have something to say about that. Gonorrhoea\u00a0is a common sexually transmitted<\/a> disease caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist environment of the reproductive<\/a> tract, including the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes in women, and in the urethra in women and men.<\/p>\n

Untreated infections can lead to complications such as\u00a0pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy<\/a> and infertility in women. Complications for men include scrotal swelling, urethral stricture (a narrowing of the urethra caused by scar tissue, restricting urine flow from the bladder) and infertility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Neonatal conjunctivitis (eye infections caused during childbirth) can also cause blindness if left untreated.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Non-typhoidal\u00a0Salmonella\u00a0\u2013 high priority
\n\"SalmonellaSTEVE GSCHMEISSNER\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Not since UK Conservative politician Edwina Curry\u2019s one-woman\u00a0crusade against eggs<\/a>\u00a0in the 1980s have concerns about\u00a0Salmonella\u00a0been so great. This is due to the bacteria\u2019s increasing drug resistance thanks to the widespread use of antibiotics in farming<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Infection with Non-typhoidal\u00a0Salmonella\u00a0(NTS) is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis (stomach<\/a> bugs to you and me), typically transmitted through contaminated food (poultry, eggs, and raw milk) or animal contact. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, and sometimes vomiting, with the illness usually lasting between two and seven days.<\/p>\n

Although most people will make a full recovery without specific treatment, it can become life-threatening in children and elderly patients due to dehydration.<\/p>\n

4. Salmonella\u00a0Typhi \u2013 high priority
\n\"MicroscopicMd Babul Hosen\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

If a dose of Non-typhoidal\u00a0Salmonella\u00a0sounds unpleasant, brace yourself, as it\u2019s about to get worse.\u00a0Salmonella\u00a0Typhi\u00a0is the\u00a0bacterium responsible for\u00a0typhoid fever<\/a>, a severe and potentially fatal infection contracted through contaminated food or water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Victorian Britain, it was a, if not\u00a0the, defining “filth disease”, causing widespread mortality, particularly in overcrowded cities<\/a>.\u00a0High-profile victims included Prince Albert<\/a>, who died of typhoid in 1861. His son, Prince Albert Edward (later Edward VII), nearly died of it in 1871, which galvanised public concern and efforts toward better sanitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, typhoid is making a worrying comeback due to evolving antibiotic resistance. While once easily treated with common antibiotics, new, highly resistant strains are spreading rapidly, particularly in South Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Symptoms include a high, prolonged fever (104\u00baF\/40\u00baC), headaches, stomach pain and weakness. It lasts several weeks without treatment, which can be fatal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Pseudomonas aeruginosa\u00a0\u2013 high priority
\n\"Pseudomonasquantic69\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pseudomonas aeruginosa\u00a0is a germ that can pass from person to person through contaminated surfaces or hands and cause infections in the blood<\/a>, lungs<\/a> or other parts of the body.\u00a0In the worst cases, it can trigger other serious conditions, including sepsis and\u00a0organ failure.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0Pseudomonas aeruginosa\u00a0infection can be hard to shift as the bacteria have evolved in response to treatments, meaning the previous go-to\u00a0antibiotics no longer work.<\/p>\n

Although most people with healthy immune systems are unlikely to get an infection, it\u2019s more dangerous for those with a weakened immune system, and up to 33% of hospital patients may encounter it.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Mycobacterium tuberculosis\u00a0\u2013 critical priority
\n\"Bacteriakoto_feja\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Also known as Koch’s bacillus due to its discovery in 1882 by German physician\u00a0Robert Koch,\u00a0Mycobacterium tuberculosis\u00a0is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, an\u00a0infection that usually affects the lungs.\u00a0During the disease\u2019s peak in the 18th and 19th centuries,\u00a0it was\u00a0known as \u201cconsumption\u201d due to the way it appeared to \u201cconsume\u201d or waste away the bodies of sufferers.<\/p>\n

People with the active disease<\/a> can spread it by coughing, sneezing or even singing by releasing tiny droplets that carry the bacteria through the air.<\/p>\n

Common symptoms include a persistent cough, fever, fatigue and weight loss, and it can be fatal if left untreated. The increasing incidence of drug resistance in\u00a0Mycobacterium tuberculosis\u00a0has diminished the efficacy of almost all available antibiotics, complicating efforts to combat the spread.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Enterobacterales\u00a0\u2013 critical priority
\n\"ThisPublic domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Enterobacterales\u00a0is an order of bacteria found in the human and animal gut that is causing double trouble for scientists, with two varieties of drug-resistant\u00a0Enterobacterales\u00a0bacteria on the WHO\u2019s critical priority list<\/a>. The first of these is resistant to third-generation cephalosporin, while the other is resistant to carbapenem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In layman\u2019s terms, this means they have developed resistance to a broad range of antibiotics, which is making them increasingly difficult to treat.<\/p>\n

Enterobacterales\u00a0is among the largest groups of bacterial families, with over 250 species, including\u00a0Escherichia coli, or E. coli. Collectively,\u00a0Enterobacterales\u00a0are also among the most common\u00a0human germs, causing a range of diseases, from\u00a0complicated\u00a0urinary tract<\/a> and\u00a0bloodstream infections to gastroenteritis and pneumonia<\/a>.\u00a0Symptoms of infection include\u00a0fever, chills, fatigue and pain.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Acinetobacter baumannii\u00a0\u2013 critical priority
\n\"AcinetobacterGilnature\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Named after the bacteriologist Paul Baumann,\u00a0Acinetobacter baumannii\u00a0is a bacterium commonly found in the environment in soil and water, with human infections typically occurring in healthcare settings. Like the other germs in our list,\u00a0it\u00a0has become resistant to antibiotics, making it difficult to treat.<\/p>\n

Acinetobacter baumannii\u00a0can cause infections in the blood, urinary tract, lungs (pneumonia) or wounds. Common symptoms include\u00a0high fever, cough, chest pain and breathing<\/a> difficulties.\u00a0According to the\u00a0Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership,\u00a0Acinetobacter baumannii\u00a0is currently associated with around 400,000 deaths a year globally.<\/p>\n

Those most at risk of infection are hospital patients\u00a0on breathing machines (ventilators), those with devices such as catheters or those with open wounds from surgery. People who have prolonged stays in hospital or have weakened immune systems, chronic lung disease or diabetes<\/a> can also be more susceptible.<\/p>\n

Most deadly<\/p>\n

The World Health Organisation\u2019s full list of Bacterial Priority Pathogens \u2013 and the antibiotics they\u2019re outfoxing.<\/p>\n

CRITICAL GROUP: <\/p>\n

Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant;
\nEnterobacterales, third-generation cephalosporin-resistant
\nEnterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant
\nMycobacterium tuberculosis, rifampicin-resistant\u00a0<\/p>\n

HIGH GROUP: <\/p>\n

Salmonella\u00a0Typhi, fluoroquinolone-resistant\u00a0
\nShigella\u00a0spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant\u00a0
\nEnterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant
\nPseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant\u00a0
\nNon-typhoidal\u00a0Salmonella, fluoroquinolone-resistant
\nNeisseria gonorrhoeae, third-generation cephalosporin- and\/or fluoroquinolone-resistant
\nStaphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant<\/p>\n

MEDIUM GROUP:<\/p>\n

Group A Streptococci, macrolide-resistant
\nStreptococcus pneumoniae, macrolide-resistant
\nHaemophilus influenzae, ampicillin-resistant
\nGroup B Streptococci, penicillin-resistant<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ever since Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin at St Mary\u2019s Hospital in London in 1928, antibiotics have provided a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":810477,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-810476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=810476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/810477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=810476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=810476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=810476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}