Daily Times

Scientists have found multidrug-resistant “superbug” bacteria lurking on cash machines, escalators and handrails in London’s underground rail system, shopping centres and hospitals and say they pose a potential risk to public health. Research published in the journal Nature Research on Thursday found “disturbing” and “worrisome” levels of antibiotic resistance, said Hermine Mkrtchyan, a specialist in biomedical sciences at the University of East London, who co-led the work. “General public areas, which are part of our everyday life, can be reservoirs for multidrug resistant bacteria,” she said. The levels found were “further evidence that infection control measures, both in the hospitals and in public places, fail to limit the spread of resistant bacteria,” Mkrtchyan said.