Published in The Hindu on April 24, 2012 With tuberculosis killing two people every three minutes and the number of people with drug-resistant TB increasing manifold every passing day, even the reports of the first few patients being detected with “totally drug-resistant” tuberculosis — i.e., resistant to all first- and second-line TB drugs — in … Continue reading Editorial: TB or not TB
Superbug NDM-1
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
Superbug NDM-1: 2010 results confirmed by others
Published in The Hindu on April 14, 2011 If the first paper on NDM-1 superbug published last year created an uproar in India, the second paper published on April 7 created a storm. From denying to finally agreeing to investigate the presence of drug-resistant NDM-1 bacteria in hospitals and drinking water, the government appears to … Continue reading Superbug NDM-1: 2010 results confirmed by others
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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