Superbugs presence increases during annual pilgrimage to India’s sacred sites
Monitoring levels of other contaminants in the water, the team showed that overloading of waste treatment facilities was likely to blame and that in many cases, untreated sewage was going straight into the river where the pilgrims bathe.
“The bugs and their genes are carried in people’s guts,” explains Professor Graham. “If untreated wastes get into the water supply, resistance potential in the wastes can pass to the next person and spiraling increases in resistance can occur.”
Concern over the spread of Antibiotic-Resistant (AR) genes
Worldwide, concern is growing over the threat from bacteria that are resistant to the so-called “last resort” class of antibiotics known as Carbapenems, especially if resistance is acquired by aggressive pathogens.
Of particular concern is NDM-1, which is a protein that confers resistance in a range of bacteria. NDM-1 was first identified in New Delhi and coded by the resistant gene blaNDM-1.
Until recently, strains that carry blaNDM-1 were only found in clinical settings, but in 2008, blaNDM-1 positive strains were found in surface waters in Delhi. Since then, blaNDM-1 has been found elsewhere in the world, including new variants.
There are currently few antibiotics to combat bacteria that are resistant to Carbapenems and worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 is a growing concern.
Professor Graham, who is based in the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciencesat Newcastle University, United Kingdom, said the team had planned to repeat their experiments last year, but the region was hit by massive floods in June and the experiments were abandoned.
The team has since returned to Rishikesh and Haridwar and hope their work will prompt public action to improve local sanitation, protecting these socially important sites. On a global scale, they want policymakers to recognize the importance of clean drinking water in our fight against antibiotic resistance.
“What humans have done by excess use of antibiotics is accelerate the rate of evolution, creating a world of resistant strains that never existed before” explains Graham.
“Through the overuse of antibiotics, contamination of drinking water and other factors, we have exponentially speeded-up the rate at which superbugs might develop.
“For example, when a new drug is developed, natural bacteria can rapidly adapt and become resistant; therefore very few new drugs are in the pipeline because it simply isn’t cost-effective to make them.
“The only way we are going to win this fight is to understand all of the pathways that lead to antibiotic resistance. Clearly, improved antibiotic stewardship in medicine and agriculture is crucial, but understanding how resistance transmission occurs through our water supplies is also critical. We contend that improved waste management and water quality on a global scale is a key step.”
— Read more in Ziaddin S Ahammad et al., “Increased waterborne blaNDM-1 resistance gene abundances associated with seasonal human pilgrimages to the Upper Ganges River,” Environmental Science and Technology (12 February 2014) (DOI: 10.1021/es405348h)
