Two plates which were coated with an antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Klebsiella with a mutation called NDM 1 and then exposed to various antibiotics are seen at the Health Protection Agency in north London March 9, 2011. (Photo: REUTERS)

The overuse and/or misuse of antibiotics has helped microbes to become resistant to many treatments, while the pipeline of replacement therapies in development is alarmingly sparse.

High levels (above 50%) of resistance have been reported in bacteria that typically cause life-threatening bloodstream infections in hospitals.

These infections often require treatment with 'last-resort' antibiotics, drugs that are used when all other antibiotics fail.