Superbug-killing viruses could mean Londoners are far less likely to get sepsis

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Superbug-killing viruses could mean Londoners are far less likely to get sepsis

  • Exposure to bacteria that cause sepsis is less than half of those in South Wales
  • This could be due to more superbug-killing viruses circulating in the capital 
  • Sepsis kills at least 52,000 a year in UK, but rates vary greatly between regions 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: | Updated:

Londoners could be more resistant to sepsis than other Britons, according to researchers.

Their exposure to the e.coli bacteria that cause the deadly condition is less than half that of those in South Wales, a study found.

This could be due to there being more superbug-killing viruses, known as ‘bacteriophages’, circulating among more ethnically diverse populations like that of London.

Londoners’ exposure to the e.coli bacteria that cause the deadly condition is less than half that of those in South Wales, a study found (file photo of people on Westminster Bridge in London)

Sepsis kills at least 52,000 patients a year in Britain. It occurs when the body over-reacts to an infection, and can cause organ failure. 

But rates vary greatly between regions. London has 64 cases per 100,000 people compared to 85 in South Wales. 

Scientists tested the theory that this could be due to differing prevalence of the disease-causing e.coli strain known as ‘B2’.

They collected sewage over a week from plants at Dartford in Kent, Marlow in Buckinghamshire, Reading, Bristol, Ponthir in South Wales and Cardiff. 

Sepsis kills at least 52,000 patients a year in Britain. It occurs when the body over-reacts to an infection, and can cause organ failure (pictured: file photo)

 Sepsis kills at least 52,000 patients a year in Britain. It occurs when the body over-reacts to an infection, and can cause organ failure (pictured: file photo)

The average prevalence of B2 e.coli was 32.5 per cent in South Wales while across the English locations it was 17.8 per cent. Rates were lowest in sites closest to the capital.

Study author Dr Mark Toleman, of Cardiff University, said: ‘Diverse mixes of cultures and ethnicities in global hubs such as London would allow mixing of bacterial and bacteriophage populations altering prevalence of individual e.coli strains.’

The Mail launched the End the Sepsis Scandal campaign in 2016 to raise awareness of the symptoms.