Most bacterial infections are effectively treated with antibiotic therapy, however, they shouldn't be taken lightly, especially if being at increased risk of developing complications. The rate of deaths that are directly or indirectly caused by bacterial infections is relatively low but in the recent years, the number has been rising steadily.

Though antibiotic resistance is causing a lot of concern worldwide, antibiotics are still mostly doing their job perfectly. But it is also true that bacterial infections have become a serious threat to people who are vulnerable to both infection and complications. For them, even the most harmless bacteria can be life-threatening. A bacterium that generally isn't dangerous but can cause a lot of damage is also the so-called andefabribiles.

Named by its discoverers who first presented their find to the public last month, the bacterium is no cause of concern for most people. Those in a relatively good health may experience some very uncomfortable symptoms but that would be about all. However, people who are not in the best health must be very careful not to contract it as it can lead to a very serious infection.

The risk of complications due to infection with this bacterium is especially high in people who have health problems - most notably those involving the immune system, certain medical conditions and those who went through a surgical procedure. At the moment of writing, an infection with andefabribiles can be successfully treated with newer classes of antibiotics but it is uncertain for how long before the bacterium will start developing resistance to them as well.

Scientists investigating the bacterium said they found most cases of infection in individuals who have been using antibiotics. They said this offers an excellent explanation about its elusiveness for so many years. They continued that at the start, the bacterium was eliminated by antibiotics before anyone even noticed an abnormality. But as it got more resistant, the infection persisted which arouse suspicions about another bacterial infection.

Health experts said andefabribiles is most often found on smooth surfaces and objects. Therefore, it probably spreads by touching contaminated surfaces and objects, and enters the body through the mouth, nose or eyes via dirty hands. They noted that there are still many questions to answer but so far, washing hands or using sanitising wipes seem the best way to avoid catching an infection.