Pseudomonas aeruginosa — an environmental bacteria that can cause devastating multidrug-resistant infections, particularly in people with underlying lung conditions — evolved rapidly and then spread globally over the last 200 years, probably driven by changes in human behaviour, a new study has found. P. aeruginosa is responsible for over 500,000 deaths per year around the world, of which over 300,000 are associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). People with conditions such as COPD (smoking-related lung damage), cystic fibrosis (CF), and non-CF bronchiectasis, are particularly susceptible. How P. aeruginosa evolved from an…
