WHO updates the 15 most alarming bacteria for human health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated a list of the 15 most dangerous bacteria for humans. According to information from the organization released this past Friday (17), the pathogens that have greater resistance to antibiotics were listed.

The list of 15 identified bacteria was divided into three categories: critical, high and medium. This identification helps to ensure that guidance and treatments are more assertive for patients and prevent spread.

According to a statement sent to the press by Yukiko Nakatani, director-general of antimicrobial resistance at the WHO, the list released is very important for mapping these bacteria globally that become resistant to drugs and how much they impact public health.

^{Headquarters of the World Health Organization (Photo: reproduction/Denis Balibouse/REUTERS)}

The 15 bacteria

The pathogens classified as critical are the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, which are resistant to carbapenem, the Enterobacterales, resistant to carbapenems and third-generation cephalosporins. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is also listed as resistant to rifampicin.

In the high priority class are Salmonella Typhi, Shigella spp and non-typhoid Salmonella resistant to fluoroquinolones. The pathogen Enterococcus faecium is resistant to vancomycin, as are non-typhoid Pseudomonas that are resistant to carbapenem drugs.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria are resistant to two antibiotics, cephalosporins and third-generation fluoroquinolones. Finally, bacteria classified as Staphylococcus aureus are resistant to methicillin.

^{List of bacteria updated by WHO (Photo: reproduction/Adrian Lange/Unsplash)}

Antimicrobial resistance

The list of bacteria seeks to identify the risks to human health and how much they do not respond to medications.

Therefore, all groups listed are considered antimicrobial resistance, when any virus, fungi or parasites stop responding to medications, causing people to fall ill more easily, increasing the spread of the disease, often leading to death.

Featured photo: virus (Reproduction/katerynakon/Deposit Photos)