---
title: "Op-ed: California is ground zero for America’s superbug crisis"
description: An opinion article about California's growing problem with antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
---

 December 11, 2025

[In the News](https://www.amractionfund.com/blog/tag/in-the-news)

# Op-ed: California is ground zero for America’s superbug crisis

AMR Action Fund CEO Henry Skinner wrote an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle in which he expressed concern over several recent outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant pathogens throughout California and the lack of private investment in antibiotics.

America is losing the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs — and California has become a fertile breeding ground for these deadly pathogens. 

A recent study in the [American Journal of Infection Control](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ajicjournal.org%2Farticle%2FS0196-6553(25)00416-X%2Ffulltext&data=05%7C02%7CChris.Sweeney%40amractionfund.com%7Cd2fa9165b564468d71d808de328d2e8f%7C96bbb69d4ba049ddbbcbb052cf23249c%7C0%7C0%7C639003779166674559%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=O4WBhnlSJ4WjpVydbspYbbuUCOu77Fd5Oi63jCKrdX4%3D&reserved=0) reported that a California hospital experienced an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*, a dangerous type of bacteria classified as a high priority by both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. More troubling, the researchers found that the strain in the California hospital carried a gene called NDM-1, a molecular shield that helps render even our most powerful antibiotics useless.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Last year, a team of UCLA researchers [reported an outbreak](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ajicjournal.org%2Farticle%2FS0196-6553(24)00888-5%2Ffulltext&data=05%7C02%7CChris.Sweeney%40amractionfund.com%7Cd2fa9165b564468d71d808de328d2e8f%7C96bbb69d4ba049ddbbcbb052cf23249c%7C0%7C0%7C639003779166688650%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KTO1dtj2WfqumfqXI8sXvyisUfhu4hqR9AufjwWKMW4%3D&reserved=0) of extensively antibiotic-resistant Shigella, ** **highly contagious bacteria that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. In the report, the team noted they had discovered genetic mutations never observed elsewhere, leading them to conclude that this strain of Shigella was distinct to Los Angeles County.

…

Other nations have recognized this reality and are adapting by enacting policies that change how antibiotics are valued in hopes of bringing private investors back to the table. The United Kingdom launched a [subscription program](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcommonslibrary.parliament.uk%2Fnetflix-for-antimicrobials-the-antimicrobial-products-subscription-model%2F&data=05%7C02%7CChris.Sweeney%40amractionfund.com%7Cd2fa9165b564468d71d808de328d2e8f%7C96bbb69d4ba049ddbbcbb052cf23249c%7C0%7C0%7C639003779166806719%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pIthlCpO0yHpJCnBGRl19OJncWBad4zzXdOBux9Kf9A%3D&reserved=0) that pays companies a fixed annual fee for a period of time for access to new, innovative antibiotics. [Italy followed](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aifa.gov.it%2Fen%2F-%2Faifa-ridefinisce-criteri-attribuzione-innovativita&data=05%7C02%7CChris.Sweeney%40amractionfund.com%7Cd2fa9165b564468d71d808de328d2e8f%7C96bbb69d4ba049ddbbcbb052cf23249c%7C0%7C0%7C639003779166822389%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SZPOfwYmbwhMoex2vnvzXPt3B24TMLsNTb3ptDsMXIU%3D&reserved=0) with a program that provides higher reimbursements for urgently needed antibiotics. 

These types of policies don’t just incentivize investment, they restore trust — the trust that the rules of the market will apply to antibiotics again. Investors will back risk when there’s a path to value. The U.S., however, seems unable to create such a path. 

Read the[ full op-ed here](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/antibiotic-resistant-superbug-california-21199626.php).

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