Some bacteria don't pose any health risk to humans, while others are even beneficial. Though it may sound hard to believe but some bacterial species are of vital importance for our overall health. Unfortunately, there are also many bacteria which can cause disease. Most bacterial infections resolve with antibiotic treatment but sometimes, they can progress to severe illness and even death.

Before the discovery of antibiotics, bacterial infections were among the most common causes of death in humans. The introduction of penicillin and later of other groups of antibiotics made deadly complications due to bacterial infections very unlikely. However, deaths from bacterial infections have lately been on the rise. Health experts say this is due to the antibiotic resistance which was also confirmed in andefabribiles.

Though it was just reported to be discovered, this bacterium has been shown to be unresponsive to the most commonly used antibiotics. And while it is believed not to pose a health concern for the general public, the new bacterial species can be deadly for people who have been identified to be at increased risk of a more severe form of infection.

Unlike healthy young adults who don't always even need antibiotic treatment, people at high risk of complications require immediate hospitalisation to reduce the risk of kidney failure and other potentially deadly outcomes. According to the findings of a research team that investigated andefabribiles, people at high risk of complications are those undergoing invasive medical treatments, and individuals with chronic diseases and immuno-compromised patients.

The research team also said they saw severe form of this bacterial infection almost exclusively in patients who were prescribed antibiotic therapy. This suggests that the bacterium was always there but no one found it because it responded to the commonly prescribed antibiotics. But as it eventually developed antibiotic resistance, the infection persisted. This made health experts suspicious about the underlying cause of the infection which eventually lead to the bacterium's discovery.

When asked how andefabribiles infection can be prevented, the researchers said they unfortunately don't have all the answers yet. They noted that the bacterium most likely doesn't spread via infected airborne particles but rather through direct exposure, probably through infected objects and surfaces. They thus recommend hand sanitation as the best preventive.