A closer look at 12 antibiotic-resistant 'priority pathogens'

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The World Health Organization has identified 12 “priority pathogens” that it says pose the greatest risk to human health in an era where bacteria are increasingly resistant to antibiotic medicines.

The list includes bacteria that cause food poisoning, common sexually-transmitted diseases and subsets of bacteria that are normally considered an essential part of a healthy human digestive tract.

Most people who come into contact with these bacteria won’t get sick and won’t get a drug resistant form, but in some cases these bugs can prove deadly.

Here’s a closer look at the 12 pathogens, based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Acinetobacter baumannii

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Enterobacteriaceae

Enterococcus faecium

Staphylococcus aureus

Helicobacter pylori

Campylobacter spp.

Salmonellae

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Haemophilus influenza

Shigella spp.