The growing issue of antibiotic resistance in India has drawn alarm in a recent report from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). According to the “Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Surveillance Network 2023” report, common antibiotics are no longer effective in treating diseases like typhoid, pneumonia, blood infections, UTIs, and pneumonia, which makes treatment more challenging.
Among the report’s most alarming discoveries is the increasing resistance of E. coli, particularly in ICU and outpatient environments. The bacteria E. coli, which is frequently associated with urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections, shown low susceptibility rates to medications such ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, cefotaxime, and ceftazidime. Similar to this, two bacteria that are frequently found in blood and respiratory infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, showed rising resistance to important antibiotics like imipenem, meropenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam, which are usually used to treat severe infections in intensive care units.
The study brought attention to a concerning pattern: many antibiotics’ gradual loss of efficacy. For example, the efficacy of piperacillin-tazobactam, an antibiotic frequently used to treat sepsis and pneumonia, decreased from 56.8% in 2017 to just 42.4% in 2023. The efficacy of commonly administered antibiotics, such as meropenem and amikacin, in treating illnesses brought on by resistant bacteria is declining.
The finding that bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, like Salmonella typhi, have become over 95% resistant to fluoroquinolones, a type of antibiotics frequently used to treat severe instances of typhoid fever, is among the report’s most concerning statistics.
In order to address the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance, the ICMR research highlights the necessity of taking immediate action. To assure better treatment outcomes and stop the development of resistant germs, it advocates for stronger laws governing the use of antibiotics, better infection control practices, and increased surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibilities.
SOURCE :
HINDUSTAN TIMES
