First Documented: 1949 Illness Caused: Pneumonia Antibiotic Resistance: Low Virulence: Worrying Discovered in 1949 as the bacterium that causes onions to rot, Burkholderia cepacia can be very dangerous to humans in the worst cases. While it mostly responds well to treatment with a combination of antibiotics, it has been shown to have high levels of resistance to several types of antibiotics and is able to survive in extreme conditions. Particularly dangerous to humans with preexisting lung conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis, scientists have been developing new ways to fight the bacteria as it evolves an increasing resistance to antibiotics.
