Germs Gaining Resistance to Hand Gels in Hospitals

Potentially dangerous bacteria already resistant to antibiotics are now developing resistance to common alcohol-based hand gels, a new study reports.

A bacteria called Enterococcus faecium is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, and it's been shrugging off antibiotics at an increasing rate, said senior researcher Timothy Stinear. He is a molecular microbiologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

"It's a WHO [World Health Organization] and CDC-recognized superbug," Stinear said. "In the hospital it is already resistant to nearly all classes of antibiotics."

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