Cases of the highly contagious, drug-resistant bacteria, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), have increased fivefold in community hospitals in the Southeastern United States, according to a new study published in the August issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

CRE are a class of highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are not susceptible to most commonly-used antibiotics. Labeled “one of the three greatest threats to human health” by the World Health Organization, these dangerous pathogens can cause infections in the urinary tract, lungs, blood, and other areas. Patients with CRE infections have high risk of mortality, with at least 48 percent of cases proving fatal.