Study to check antibiotic resistance in the river water

Dr KK Aggarwal

Researchers will soon undertake a study to evaluate the microbial diversity along the entire length of the Ganga. The study will also investigate if the river waters contain microbes that may promote antibiotic resistance.

The two-year project, under the aegis of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Jal Shakti Ministry, will be undertaken by scientists at the Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology, Allahabad; the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur; Sardar Patel Institute of Science & Technology, Gorakhpur. Genome sequencing of the microbes sampled will be done by Phixgen and Xcelris Labs.

Researchers will attempt to find out the type of “contamination” (sewage and industrial) in the entire length of the river as well as “threat to human health (antibiotic resistance surge)” and identify the sources of Escherichia coli in the water.

Results of a study conducted by Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and published earlier this year in the journal Environmental Pollution had shown that the river Ganga harbors a broad spectrum of resistance genes with high abundance in sediments. The highly dominant ARGs type was beta-lactam, multidrug/efflux and elfamycin. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Arcobacter were the most abundant genera (Environ Pollut. 2019 Mar;246:443-451).

The new study will be the first study to answer the question whether the waters of Ganga are infected or not and how antibiotic resistance is spreading in the environment.

It is upon each one of us to practice rational use of medicines especially anibiotics.

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Elect Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO)

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Past National President IMA