Why are Indian rivers home to antimicrobial resistance?
Pharmaceutical drugs have been gaining consideration with regard to their ecological fate in environment and its impact. The discharge of industrial and municipal wastewaters into Indian rivers has led to persistence of some antibiotic pollutants which in turn harm the living organisms. Though these pollutants enter the river at wastewater discharge points along the river, its impacts spreads to downstream populations and ecosystems as the pollutants enter the river flow.
Frequent drought scenarios in Indian rivers counter the dilution of pollutants in rivers, thus worsening the situation. Water research by various groups has confirmed the increasing levels of antibiotic resistant microbes in several Indian rivers like Godavari, Gomati, Mula-Mutha, Cauvery, and Musi.
Our studies at one Mula-Mutha river which flows through Pune city, have revealed presence of microbes resistant to six different antibiotics, indicating the scale of the problem.
The presence and persistence of antibiotics in river water, the development of microbial resistance and its widespread through genetic transmission across microbes is inevitable. The effects of antibiotic resistance gets more complex when aspects like climate change and urbanization are considered.
Theories of co-evolution and natural selection, explain how river microbiomes have now evolved to resist the antibiotics. With increasing pollution of natural ecosystems we have already entered a post-antibiotic world where the antibiotics will no longer be effective in treating infections. Discharge of untreated wastewaters into the rivers also impacts the groundwater and agriculture. Use of polluted river waters or water reuse in agriculture will penetrate antibiotic resistance in soil ecosystems.
Awareness of the antimicrobial resistance phenomenon and prevention of antibiotic misuse/overuse are prime issues being undertaken in the National Action Plan of India to address AMR. Co-ordinated efforts are yet needed which combine new and affordable techniques with integrated water management, targeted economic policies, and consumer education.
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Foundation for Medical Research practices a combination of basic biomedical and translational research. Our traditional research areas are leprosy, tuberculosis and medicinal plants.
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