A recent survey in the Sassoon Hospital here showed that 20 out of 3,172 patients were carrying the superbug, NDM-1 gene. Sixty-six per cent of the patients also showed multidrug resistance. While it is not a cause for immediate worry, experts say, the high level of resistance to drugs could mean that soon there will be no antibiotics which can fight diseases.
Renu Bharadwaj, Dean of the BJ Medical College which conducted the study on the 3,172 patients over two months, said many such ‘superbugs' existed and NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta lactamase-1), a bacterium with multidrug-resistant gene, was the newest genetic mechanism.
“The reason for the emergence of this mechanism is that there has been a large-scale misuse of antibiotics, resulting in high resistance. There is need for a more disciplined use. We need to preserve the antibiotics available to us. International monitoring is necessary,” she told The Hindu .
The British medical journal The Lancet , in a report in August 2010 said NDM-1 was found in sewage and drinking water samples in Delhi. The causes of NDM-1 could also be that there was immunodeficiency among patients, Dr. Bharadwaj said. “NDM-1 can be treated with the anti-bacterial drug, Colistin, which is very expensive.”
It was unclear how many independent surveys were undertaken in the country after the report was out, Dr. Bharadwaj said. “However, no epidemic can spread due to NDM-1. We need to be careful about how we use the antibiotics.”
The study in the Sassoon Hospital also showed that 181 patients were found resistant to the highest level of antibiotics, Carbapenems. The group of Carbapenem antibiotics is usually highly resistant to most beta lactamases.
Dr. Bharadwaj said Pune was not a peculiar case, and a similar study anywhere could produce similar results.
According to her, the fact that antibiotics are available over the counter in India adds to the concern.
Her anxiety is shared by Sharad Agarkhedkar, president of the city unit of the Indian Medical Association. Speaking to The Hindu , he said: “There is no antibiotics policy in India. They are freely available which can be dangerous in the long-run. When they are prescribed by doctors, very often the patients don't complete the entire dose, increasing the chances of relapse.”
Dr. Agarkhedkar said the use of antibiotics for minor infections like viral fevers should be avoided. He also advocates the need for training among doctors to avoid wrong and inadequate dosage.
