Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), are a family of germs that are hard to treat because they have high levels of resistance to antibiotics. Healthy people usually do not get CRE infections – they usually happen to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care settings. Patients whose care requires breathing machines, bladder catheters, and vein catheters, and patients who are taking certain antibiotics for a long time are most at risk. Some CRE bacteria have become resistant to most available antibiotics. Infections with these germs are very difficult to treat and can be deadly.
