A much-needed public awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of misuse and irrational use of antibiotics was recently launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Called ‘Medicines with the Red Line’, it comes at a time when the consumption of antibiotics in India has increased sharply while the effectiveness of these drugs to … Continue reading Drug resistance: The antibiotic red line of control
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Editorial: The superbug effect
Published in The Hindu on April 24, 2011 The discovery of the New Delhi mettallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) in 51 of 151 sewage samples and two of 50 drinking water samples taken from India's capital indicates that the superbug is present in the environment and is no longer a hospital-born infection. The study published online in The … Continue reading Editorial: The superbug effect
NDM-1 superbugs found in seepage, tap water
Published in The Hindu on April 7, 2011 Gram-negative bacterial strains with NDM-1 (New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase-1) gene, also called the superbug, have now been detected in drinking water and seepage water samples collected from several sites in New Delhi. Seepage samples were collected from water pools found in streets or rivulets. The findings have been … Continue reading NDM-1 superbugs found in seepage, tap water
Editorial: Superbug NDM-1 threat
Published in The Hindu on August 16, 2010 Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae strains resistant to carbapenem, a powerful antibiotic, and one of the last lines of treatment for infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, are becoming more widespread in India. The resistance arises on account of a new gene that codes for metallo-beta-lactamase enzyme. The drug-resistant bacterial gene, … Continue reading Editorial: Superbug NDM-1 threat
All authors ‘approved final version’ of superbug report: Lancet
Published in The Hindu on August 15, 2010 All the authors, including the Indian researchers, involved in the project approved the final version of the paper on the superbug that appeared in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The fine print in the journal explicitly states: “All authors were involved in the compiling of the report, and … Continue reading All authors ‘approved final version’ of superbug report: Lancet
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