Bacterial infections are the second leading cause of death worldwide

Bacterial infections are the second leading cause of death worldwide after heart disease, according to a very large study published on Tuesday, November 22, naming Staphylococcus aureus and pneumococcus among the deadliest bacteria.

This study is published Lancet, selected about 30 bacteria most commonly involved in infections and estimated how many deaths were associated with them. These measurements are made within the framework of the Global Burden of Disease. Funded by the Bill Gates Foundation, this huge research project is of an unprecedented scale, involving several thousand researchers from many countries around the world.

Finally, “Deaths associated with these bacteria are the second leading cause of death worldwide.” after coronary heart disease, which includes heart attacks, the authors conclude. Of the 7.7 million deaths linked to bacterial infections, one in eight deaths can be attributed to them, even if the figures are from 2019, before the Covid pandemic.

“Urgent Priority”

Of the thirty or so bacteria sampled, only five accounted for more than half of the deaths: Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, pneumococcus, Klebsellia pneumoniae, and bacillus pyocyanin. It is Staphylococcus aureus “Bacterial leading cause of death in 135 countries”, the study says. Among the youngest, under five years of age, however, pneumococcal infections are the most lethal.

For researchers, these results show how bacterial infections “urgent priority” in public health. They call for work on infection prevention, better use of antibiotics, particularly avoiding resistance phenomena, and more effective use of vaccinations.