Scientists from the National Reference Center for Vibrios and Cholera at the Institut Pasteur, in collaboration with the Center hospitalier de Mayotte, have revealed the spread of a highly drug-resistant cholera strain. The study was published on December 11, 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
This dangerous new cholera strain is highly resistant to multiple antibiotics. First identified in Yemen in 2018, the strain has spread to several countries, including Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Comoros Islands.
A recent outbreak in Mayotte, a French island off the coast of Africa, was caused by this resistant strain. This highlights the urgent need for global surveillance of cholera and the development of new treatment strategies. If this strain becomes resistant to tetracycline, the only remaining oral antibiotic option, the situation could become even more critical.