A network of "surveillance" hospitals from each province and municipality has been set up by the Ministry of Health to monitor and research the so-called superbugs.

Research into multi-drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs, will include NDM-1, which aroused concern recently after at least five people died in Britain and more than 170 people were infected worldwide.

Though NDM-1 hasn't been detected on the Chinese mainland, hospitals in Zhejiang Province, Beijing and Shanghai had found another superbug with similar resistance to almost all antibiotics, medical experts told a lecture on microbiology at Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital yesterday.

"The superbug NDM-1 is actually an enzyme called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase which makes bacteria resistant to most antibiotics," said Dr Ni Yuxing, director of clinical microbiology department of Ruijin Hospital, the city's surveillance hospital.

"A similar enzyme, plasmid-mediated imipenem-hydrolyzing enzyme KPC-2, has been found in domestic hospitals in recent years."

He said the two enzymes had similar mechanisms and infected people with wounds or weak immune systems and were usually found in patients with urinary diseases, pneumonia, burns or blood infections.

"The network is to closely monitor these superbugs. Hospitals will screen people suspected of infection, do laboratory tests, isolate patients, report to the authorities and support research into new medicines," Ni said.

Medical experts said the public needn't panic about superbugs, which can still be treated by some strong antibiotics. They said bacteria are different from viruses, which are spread through body fluids.

"Bacteria are transmitted through touch, so it is vital to promote proper individual hygiene, reduce antibiotics abuse, have better surveillance and enhance infection control procedures at hospitals and at home," Ni said.

Experts also urged the government to control the use of antibiotics in agriculture and fish farming. "The wide use of antibiotics has created an drug-resistant environment and the authorities should introduce tougher measures to stop it," Ni said.