A new nationwide program led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 221 instances of dangerous so-called "nightmare bacteria" in its first 9 months of monitoring — a high number which "surprised" CDC principal deputy director Anne Schuchat.

Why it matters: About 2 million Americans contract and 23,000 die from antibiotic-resistant infections per year. Public health officials said today they are trying to get ahead of any "sparks" of these threats by encouraging hospitals and long-term care facilities to adopt an aggressive containment policy even for single cases.

What they found: The officials are searching for all antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the most serious group is the CRE, or carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, which is highly resistant and deadly about half of the time. In the initial 9 months of the project, CDC said it tested 5,770 samples nationwide, and found 221 with unusual genes that confer antibiotic resistance. They also found:

• 25% of the tested germs had genes that allow them to spread to other types of bacteria.
• 1 out of 10 patients screened with these germs were asymptomatic but contagious.
• Nightmare germs can be spread from people with and without symptoms of infection between facilities as people travel.

The strategy: They now have 500 local trained staff, 56 state and local labs, and 7 regional labs dedicated to antimicrobial testing and containment throughout the nation.

• Schuchat says they believe this program could reduce new CRE infections by 76% over three years if there's a "tremendous increase in rapid response in every state."
• "These resources have been a game-changer for their states," Jay Butler, chief medical officer for Alaska, said at the briefing.