3% patients’ bacteria samples show total resistance

At Sassoon’s microbiology department entrusted with the task of collecting samples to analyse drug sensitivity,it was found that 3 per cent of bugs from samples are not sensitive to any antibiotic. A total of 1,588 samples were checked and 275 pathogenic organisms identified of which three per cent -mainly from enterobacteriaceae and pseudomonas groups – was not sensitive to any antibiotic while 75 per cent was resistant to at least three antibiotics.

However,microbiologists have yet to study genetic mapping of bugs that are resistant to the carbapenem family of drugs. It may be recalled that B J Medical College and National Centre for Cell Science had reported the New Delhi metallobeta lactamase-1 NDM in Pune last year. The ongoing antibiotic surveillance has not reported any new strain. Genetic mapping is on and results are awaited. NDM-1 is an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to a broad range of beta-lactam antibiotics and 20 patients were detected with the NDM strain.

Microbiologists at private hospitals in Pune say their hospital infection committees have noted a high level of resistance to antibiotics. Dr Nita Munshi,coordinator of the hospital infection society in Pune,said it is even tough at the hospital setting where patients arrive in a bad condition after taking oral antibiotics elsewhere. “We need to have a regulation and the government’s efforts are welcome,” says Munshi.

Dr Pravin Shingare,Director of Medical Education and Research told Newsline that government medical colleges and hospitals in the state have been instructed to submit sensitivity pattern of drugs in their healthcare settings. “We are still collecting data from several hospitals but there is an increasing trend of resistance to antibiotics,” Shingare admitted.

Dr Vikram Padbidri,a core committee member of the hospital infection society,said the Sassoon survey is indicative of drug resistance pattern in other hospitals but of late no such trend was seen in his hospital. “In the last six months no bug has shown total resistance to antibiotics. However,there is a high level of resistance and we are now finding a resistance pattern from the community who have had no prior exposure to hospitals,” says Padbidri.

Concern over misuse of antibiotics has led the Indian Council of Medical Research to plan a surveillance network across the country and B J Medical College is among key participants.

Under the network,isolates from patients will be collected and any organisms which has been identified will be monitored for drug sensitivity. The network will include major medical centres in Chandigarh,Delhi,Pondicherry,Vellore and Kolkata.