NIH: 'Reservoir' of Killer Germs Found in Hospital Plumbing Systems

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health are warning that hospitals have been inadvertently flushing drug-resistant superbugs down their drains -- but the deadly germs aren't dying. Instead, they're thriving, reproducing and spreading in hospital plumbing systems, where they pose a mortal threat to vulnerable patients up above.

The warning came after researchers checked the plumbing at the NIH's flagship hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.