2. What is Superbug ?
When bacteria resist the effects of an antimicrobial agent, it is referred to as
resistant.
If a bacterial strain is exceedingly resistant to almost every known/antibiotics
available, it is informally called “a superbug” or “a super bacterium”
implying a super fighter against antimicrobial agents (Reinhardt, 2010).
4. Rise of Superbugs
AMR - existed ten thousand years before modern man
discovery of medicines.
A 1000 year-old mummies- Inca Empire –resistant
bacteria from gut.
DNA found in 30, 000-year-old permafrost sediments
from Bering - contain genes that encode resistance to a
wide range of antibiotics (Balamurugan et al 2018).
5. Superbugs – Emerging Threat
The effective treatment of infections and diseases- under threat.
Infections by superbugs claims 700,000 lives annually around the world.
Every year- 23,000 deaths in America (CDC 2018), 25,000 in Europe and 80,000 deaths
in China -antibiotic-resistant infections.
300 million premature deaths are expected over the next 35 years due to AMR
worldwide (WHO 2018).
(Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, December 2014, Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a Crisis for the
Health and Wealth of Nations)
6. Superbugs would make medical procedures such as organ transplants, surgery
and chemotherapy impossible.
The rise in super bugs causing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) - major
cause of mortality despite recent advances in management (Quereshi et al 2015).
Post-antibiotic era-minor injuries - lethal
Once curable diseases - untreatable.
If not addressed -expected loss - US$100 trillion (globally), lowering projected
GDP by 2 to 3.5 percent.
Due to global spread - serious and highly contagious illnesses such as gonorrhoea
and pneumonia, may soon become incurable.
(Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, December 2014, Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a Crisis for the
Health and Wealth of Nations)
Emerging Threat……
7. Nightmare superbugs
In Nevada (USA) woman in her 70s was hospitalized (August 2016) after returning from an
extended trip to India.
Infected with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to 26 antibiotics.
Died in September from multiple organ failure and sepsis.
Klebsiella pneumoniae was found in patients at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore
after they were admitted for sepsis.
At CMC, Vellore- 31 per cent patients treated for sepsis in the hospital become infected by
a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae - both resistant to antibiotics and hypervirulent.
8.
9. India
Every section of the population is at risk.
More than 23,000 adults die annually due to AMR.
Newborns are particularly vulnerable to AMR
because- immune systems are fragile, leaving little
time for doctors to find a drug that works.
More than 58,000 Indian babies died in 2013 as a
result of AMR - a serious setback to progress in
reducing Indian infant mortality rates.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Resistance trends- India
During the period from 2008-2014 in India
MRSA – from 29% to 47%
Cabapenam resistant E. coli- from 10 to 13%.
Flouroquinolones resistant Salmonella isolates from 8% to 28%.
Kebsiella pneumoniae- pneumonia, meningitis, bloodstream infections and urinary tract
infections - 29% to 57%.
V. cholerae O1 resistant to ampicillin, furazolidone, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline.
Source: The State of Worlds Antibiotics, 2015 Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP)
National action Plan –AMR 2017
17. Inappropriate use in humans
Over-prescription/Overuse
In the 76 countries studied consumption increased from 21.2 billion in 2000 to 34.8 billion in
2015.
Global consumption - set to rise by 67% between 2010-2030.
In the BRICS countries(Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa)- the estimated increase –
99% - up to seven times projected population growth.
India-largest consumer of antibiotics for human health. (Laxminarayan et al 2016)
Patient with preconceived ideas and demand quick relief
Fear of losing customers - Doctors compelled to give antibiotics
(Chandy et al 2013)
18. In Humans…
Prescription for non-bacterial illnesses
Common cold, sore throat etc.
Self medication
To avoid financial burden of expensive allopathic medical visits
Access to antibiotics without prescription (GARP India 2011; Barker et al 2017)
Source: previous doctors prescription, leftover medicines from previous illness
19. High consumption of broad spectrum antibiotics
Diagnostic uncertainties
Lack of microbiology diagnostic laboratory services
Incentives to prescribe new broad spectrum antibiotic
Less time to counsel against use of antibiotic and instead prescribe them
To dispose near to expire antibiotics (Kotwani et al., 2010; GARP India 2011)
Failure to complete a course of treatment
Prescription/treatment from informal healthcare providers/quacks/pharmacists
Consider themselves not less than doctor
Lack knowledge of when to use antibiotics
20. Non -therapeutic use of antibiotics
Overuse In intensive livestock farming
More antibiotics are given to healthy animals than are used to treat diseases among
human patients (WHO, 2012).
India accounts for 3% of the global consumption and is the fourth highest in the
world, behind China (23%), the United States (13%) and Brazil (9%) in 2010.
The consumption of antibiotics in food animals in India will be double by 2030.
(Inter-ministerial Review Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2016).
Substitute for healthier living conditions (Laxminarayan 2016)
Routine feeding -to help them endure crowded, dirty, and stressful conditions.
Use of enrofloxacin in FMD vaccines as preservative (Singh 2016)
21. As a growth promoter
Poultry farmers – prevention is better than cure
Common practice
Cheap antibiotics
Antibiotics critical to human health such as tetracycline , doxycycline, ciprofloxacin and
even colistin are commonly used for growth promotion in poultry. (Brower et al 2017; CSE
2014).
Residues of antimicrobials -detected in chicken meat (Sahu and Saxena 2014).
Use of polymixins in food animals-Emergence of plasmid mediated mcr-1 gene with (Liu
et al 2016)
149 unique resistance genes detected- manure from pigs –China
Non -therapeutic use of antibiotics
22. "Some veterinarians' profit margins are bigger than those of cocaine dealers. When a
veterinarian finds a sick chick among 20,000 other chicks, he treats the discovery as
justification to preventively treat the entire flock with antibiotics.
( Der Spiegel 2012)
Report on factory use of antibiotics in Germany, 2012 Spiegel, Addicted to
Antibiotics: How Factory Farm Drug Abuse Makes Vets Rich.
23. Pharmaceutical industry
The Indian pharmaceutical industry supplied 20 percent of generic drugs – US $15 billion
in 2014 ( Nordea Asset Management, 2014)
Almost 80 percent of the antibiotics sold by multinational companies on global market are
manufactured in India and China (Sum of Us 2015).
Release of antibiotics into the environment
Waste water effluents (Lubbert et al 2017)
Resistance to three major classes of antibiotics- cephalosporins, carbapenems and the
fluoroquinolones detected in water samples from river, sewage treatment plant etc. in and
around pharmaceutical companies in Hyderabad and Chennai (Sum of Us 2015).
Improper disposal of expired or leftover antibiotics- ideal breeding ground for drug
resistant bacteria.
24.
25. Antibiotic Fixed dose Combination (FDCs)
Lack of diagnostic precision
Unavailability of diagnostic laboratory services – increased use of antibiotics FDCs
in India (Gautam and Saha 2008).
Approximately 118 FDCs are available in India (Shankar et al 2016).
Of these 118 formulations, 64 per cent are not approved by the national drugs
regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (Business world 2018).
The lack of investment in new drug discovery.
In 2004, in the 15 largest pharma companies, only 1.6% of the drugs in the
development stages were antibiotics- none from novel classes, nor were they
targeted to treat multidrug resistant agents.
Pharmaceutical industry
26.
27. Double Standards
According to pharmaceutical company Zoetis (a former subsidiary of Pfizer )-They are
leader in providing ongoing education to veterinarians and livestock producers on the
proper use of antimicrobial drugs.
In 2013, Zoetis said it “supports the FDA’s efforts to voluntarily phase out growth
promotion indications for medically important antibiotics.
But company still sells its antibiotics to Indian farmers - regulation and enforcement is
more lax (Bureau of Investigative Journalism). Ban - European countries and USA-
removed growth promoter labels but continued supply in India.
In India Zoetis (Neftin-T), Venkys (Colis-V), Vetline (PROGRO-VET), Kaizen Bio Sciences,
Vet-Needs Labs, NeoSpark (DoxiStin-FS, RimoDox-2%-FS CTC-150-FS etc.)
Zoetis recommends feeding Neftin-T to chickens to “improve weight gain and FCR.
30. Justification provided by companies
Officially there is no ban in India for the specified usage of colistin in farm animals… As
law abiding company, we will never deviates the law of the land……..Neospark.
Each country enacts regulations appropriate for their market needs and standards, and we
work with the national regulatory authorities in various countries, including India, to
understand, respect and comply with local regulatory interpretation and oversight……….Pfizer
and Venkys.
“If an American company follows one policy in America, they should follow the same policy in
India- Chennai Declaration.
Source: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Hindu, The Daily Telegraph
31. Lack of overall hygiene and sanitation
Poor sanitation plays major role in the spread of resistant bacteria and ARGs (antibiotic
resistant genes).
More than 50 percent Indian population lack access to sanitation facilities for safe
disposal of human waste (World Bank 2017).
Untreated sewage into water bodies - contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues,
antibiotic resistant organisms and ARGs (Marathe et al 2017).
Risk of asymptomatic colonization with ESBL producing E. coli among Swiss travelers
visiting India was 87 percent (Kuenzli et al 2014).
32. Cultural activities
Mass bathing in rivers
blaNDM-1 was found to be 20 times greater in the river during pilgrimage season than
at other times of year in Upper Ganges (Ahammad et al 2014).
Pilgrimage sites thus can act as hot spots for transmission of resistant bacteria and
genes.
33. Hospital acquired
Medical equipment, such as ventilators and catheters, might be transmission sites for these
new strains.
Human-to- human transmission may also be possible, but clinical settings are most
vulnerable.
For eg; HA-MRSA, infections aquired with use of catheters and other surgical and diagnostic
procedures.
35. MRSA
Most recognized superbugs - common in many hospitals throughout the world.
Methicillin- introduced in 1959 -treatment of penicillin-resistant S. aureus.
MRSA was first detected in 1961 (Ippolito et al., 2010).
At first- limited to hospitals and healthcare settings -hospital acquired MRSA infection.
Since the late 1990s- emergence of community-acquired MRSA strains with rapid
spread and causing fatal diseases (Ippolito et al., 2010).
Most MRSA strains exhibit resistance to multiple drugs including penicillin, methicillin,
tetracycline, erythromycin and vancomycin (de Lencastre et al., 1996; Smith et al., 2014).
36. LA-MRSA
LA-MRSA- increasingly identified in humans and could be associated with very severe
diseases and even death(Chen et al 2018).
MRSA - reported in diverse species - dogs, cats, sheep, chickens, horses, rabbits, seals,
birds, one turtle, bat, guinea pig and chinchilla (Morgan et al 2008).
In one report, four dogs suffered postoperative infections with MRSA after a surgery at
veterinary hospital.
Around 5-7% of veterinary personnel and students found to be nasal carriers in
Netherland and USA.
LA-MRSA was identified in 78% of 373 MRSA-colonized patients upon admission to two
hospitals during 2008 and 2009 (Bruinsma et al 2015).
These studies are enough to introduce the challenge to veterinarians in form of newer
and stronger zoonoses.
37.
38. NDM-1
Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae harboring New Delhi metallo β-
lactamase (NDM-1)
The NDM-1 gene encodes β-lactamase enzymes carbapenemases -resistance to a
broad range of β-lactams.
Produced by Gram-negative bacteria, in particular E. coli and K. pneumoniae
(Paterson, 2006).
Gene - first detected in a K. peumoniae isolate- Swedish patient who travelled to
New Delhi in 2008 (Yong et al., 2009) and emerged as a newest superbug - most
feared pathogens.
39. Apart from the Enterobacteriaceae family NDM-1 has also recently been found in
Acinetobacter species in India, China, and Egypt.
After NDM- 1 a variant in Egypt is designated as NDM-2.
Infections caused by bacteria carrying NDM-1 have been reported in many other
countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Kenya, China, South Korea, Japan(Luo et al., 2013;
Yoo et al., 2013).
Mcr-1 gene conferring resistance against colistin and other polymixins has been found in
multiple countries around the world (Liu et al, 2015; Roschanski et al., 2016)
NDM-1…..
40.
41. NDM 1 controversy
Don’t blame superbug on India, it’s everywhere
Thursday, Dec 06, 2018 New Delhi °C
42. “ridiculous to call it NDM-1 when none of the samples
that tested positive were picked in New Delhi,” -
Chairman, Medanta-The Medicity.
Commercially motivated campaign to hurt India’s Rs
1,200-crore medical tourism industry.
Lead researcher from Chennai KK Kumarasamy got
funding from Wyeth, a pharma company, while another
author has shares in companies such as AstraZeneca,
Merck, pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline.
A frightening picture not supported by any scientific
data.
Many British NDM-1 positive patients had no travel or
connection to India : Union Health Ministry official.
Shrivastva et al 2011
43. Alternatives
Antimicrobial peptides- host defense peptides-short and generally positively charged
pptides found in variety of life forms from microorganisms to humans.
Potential therapeutic source of future antibiotics-broad spectrum activities and different
mechanisms of actions (Seo et al 2012).
Phage therapy
Intraperitoneal administration of a single phage strain was sufficient to rescue 100%
mice in bacteremia model using ESBL producing E. coli and imipenem resistant P.
aeruginosa (Wang et al 2006).
44. Alternatives
Antimicrobial polymers/polymeric biocides- engineered polymers to mimic
antimicrobial peptides –used by immune system to kill bacteria.
Positive charge- attach to bacteria –polymer crosses cell membrane- solidification of
proteins and DNA in cell.
Endophytes
Microbes colonizing living internal tissues of plant without causing any immediate
overt negative effects.
Wide range of antimicrobial producing strains-important potential source of
antimicrobial substance (Ryan et al 2008).
45. Containment of AMR
AMR related policies were initiated in 2011 by publishing the National Policy on
Containment of AMR.
NGO initiative such as Chennai Declaration-published to create a roadmap to tackle AMR
problem.
ICMR launched the program on Antimicrobial Stewardship, Prevention of Infection and
Control (ASPIC) in 2012.
The Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Research Network (AMRSN) established by the
ICMR.
The Red Line Campaign developed along with Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of
India (OPPI) was launched in New Delhi in February 2016.
In 2017, a comprehensive National Action Plan for Containment of AMR - launched.
While bacteria could be harmless and sometimes helpful, superbugs are mostly pathogenic bacterial strains and infections with superbugs usually result in
increased severity of diseases, prolonged hospitalized stay, higher cost of treatment and increased mortality rate.
Antibacterial resistance occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes. However the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials is accelerating this process.
Alterations in target sites
Changes in membrane permeability
Inactivating enzyme or degradation
Rapid transmission of genetic elements
Efflux pump- fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, beta lactams, tetracyc, macrolides
Inactivation of enzymes- beta, aminoglyco, macrolides, rifamycins
Blocked peneteration- beta, tetra, flouroquinolones
Target modifications- flouroquinolones, vancomycin, beta, amino, macrolidesModification of antimicrobial by bacterial enzymes
AMR has existed even before the discovery of antibiotics. Even the mummies in Egypt were found to harbor such bacteria in the gut which were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Resistance to first antibiotic Penicillin was seen in 1965 and after that As newer antibiotics were being discovered their resistance was just following them like tetracyclines, methicillin, vancomycin and imipenem. AMR recognized as global threat by WHO.
And nowadays we are facing multiple drug resistance ,even to drugs of last resort.
Pemafrost is a ground (including rock or soil) at or below freezing point of water i.e., 0 degree celcius for two or more years. Most of them are at high altitudes.
In India research is going on permafrost in Himalayas (KULLU, H.P.). In 2017 Indian Permafrost Network (IPN) has been created to promote the research activities in this area.
As infections by superbugs is claiming 7 lakh lives annually around the world. 2 million Americans are infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics resulting in.
Post antibiotic era will be there when even minor injuries will lead to death. If not addressed -expected loss - US$100 trillion worth of economic output between now and mid-century, lowering projected GDP by 2 to 3.5 percent. 56
WHO already have declared antibiotic resistance as major global heath threat and according to a review on antimicrobial resistance 10 million people will die worldwide until we reach the year 2050. The estimates as we can see are far more than any other causes.
In India population is at high risk of acquiring superbugs. Indian hospitals are full of it.
1 million Indian children die in first 4 weeks of their life each year and out of that 58,000 deaths are attributed to AMR bacteria.
Newer and dangerous suberbugs are being discovered in every part of the world and most of them are pointing towards Indian origin of resistance.
Out of every 10 patients with infections in ICU in India, four have drug resistance bacteria.
Samples from Chennai beef have been found to contain MRSA. Fish samples also revealed the presence of superbugs of Vibrio
A police constable during bullet injury treatment got a deadly suberbug infection from hospital and diagnosed later at another hospital and died.
Superbugs are already there in veterinary medicine as a AST report from a mastitis case is showing none of the antibiotic is sensitive out of 15 tested.
As it is clear from the chart that India has topped in antibiotic resistance against E. coli. Aminopeniciilins, 3rd gen. cephalosporins , flouoquinolones and even carbapenaam resistance is highest in India. The chart itself is indicating toward the challenge and its outcomes.
2015
During the period 2008-2014 presence of mrsa has increased from
These are isolation rates for eg., if in any study in 2008 out of 100 isolates only 10% were resistant it increased to 13% percent.
They can be passed on in meat, spread via contaminated manure or water used to grow food crops, travel through the air, or flourish in the bodies of people who have been contaminated.
New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) - first identified in India - already been found in France, Japan, Oman and the United States.48
With globalisation and modern means of travel, any local health problem can soon become a disaster of global proportions.
DATA of 2011 by WHO.
Overuse result from doctors over-prescribing antibiotics in order to quickly eliminate the infection or prescribing them inappropriately t. With increased fluoroquinoles resistance. India was the world’s largest consumer of antibiotics for human health ) 12.9 billion units in 2010.
10.7 units per person
GARP- Global Antibiotic resistance Partnership established in 2009 to develop actionable policy recommendations for spread of AMR for low and middle income countries.
Presriptions for illness which are not due to bacterial infection and antibiotic prescriptions for common cold more than common.
Self medication even by educated and undergraduate students of medical universities is common. And people do so to avoid financial burden.
It is also common as antibiotics are easily available on counter.
High consumption due to diagnostic uncertanies as doctors are not sure about diagnosis so they prscribe broad spectrum drugs.
GARP- Global antibiotic Resistance Parternership
In Germany- three times more antibiotics than total human consumption
In the United States prophylactic use represents 80 percent of all sales of antibiotics.(NRDC)
China- More than 50 percent of the antibiotics sold are used in the animal husbandry and feed industry(BSNABC, 2013).
Consumption in animals in india 63,151 units in 2010
In 2010 india was at no. 4 projected increase will be due to changing pattern of affluence and dietary preferences – increasing demand of animal protein –driving use of antibiotics
At average poultry farm of haryana ans punjab hygiene is awful and to prevent the deaths they use antibiotics as they are cheap.
Farmers do not want to spend money on treatment of birds and they are of view to prevent it by using antibiotics at first place and it has become a common practice nowadays as antibiotics are cheap and easily available without any prescription. Even many of pharma companies sell it to farmers directly on the farm.
CSE - center for science and environment
The prophylactic use of antibiotics in low doses wipes out weaker bacteria and leaves the field open for stronger strains. When the manure is sold on as fertilizer or washed downstream into rivers and groundwater, the resistant genes are spread to the wider bacterial community. In 2012, Chinese researchers studying the manure from pig farms in China found. Mcr- mobile colistin resistant gene.
.
And according to a report In Germany…….. So this implies how overconsumption of antibiotics is going on.
, another major cause of AMR is the release of antibiotics into the environment either as a result of bad manufacturing practices or through human and animal excretion and careless. disposal at the end of life (for example people flushing drugs down the toilet). This aspect of AMR is not part of most of the global or national strategies that are being developed to contain the spread of resistance. Waste water effluents from antibiotic manufacturing units
Pirana dumping site in ahmadabad.
Ofloxacin was found .
Combination doses in India are highly prescribed even without knowledge of proven advantage over single compounds .These fdcs include dual oral broad spectrum antibiotics such as 3rd gen ceph. And last resort antibiotics such as Linezolid.
China is the largest importer of Active pharmaceutical ingredient which are used to make final drug and they are supplying it to every country including India. But there processing plants are under doubt and many has been banned by FDA. So the drugs prepared of these APIs an not be trusted.
Zoetis said that when used “properly and responsibly according to their approved indications” and “under the supervision of a veterinary professional” its products do not contribute to drug resistance and do not pose a threat to public health. But unnecessarily giving healthy animals antibiotics - such as their use to help fatten livestock - is fuelling the rise of superbugs, according to WHO.
Ban on use of antibiotics as growth promoter in animals in European countries 2006 and USA 2017, pharma companies remove the growth promoter labels from the products in respective countries but continue to supply the same in other countries like India.
Venky’s, one of the country’s biggest chicken producers which supplies Indian branches of fast food chains KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and
Dominos, to have been providing colistin to farmers to help their birds grow bigger. Venky’s has since removed these growth promotion claims from the packaging, which also now says a veterinary prescription is needed.
But the Bureau was still able to purchase it recently in an Indian drug store without a prescription.
Venky’s said it is “manufacturing Colis-V (colistin sulphate) with due approval from the Food & Drug Administration, Government of Maharashtra, India.
KFC, Dominos and other Multinational companies advocate that they will not purchase meat from such producers who use antibiotics as growth promoter in their animals or poultry. But still they are purchasing it India from companies like Venky who advocates use of colis V for growth promotion.
Antibiotic selection pressure - prerequisite for emergence of resistance.
This sanitation data might have fall after ODF movement and other schemes of government of India
Notably missing from the list is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. That was not included, because the need for new antibiotics to treat TB has already been designated the highest priority on Global level. This priority list was prepared to guide research, discovery and development of new antibiotics.
MRSA epidemiology encounter a major change that is the emergence of community-acquired MRSA strains with rapid spread and causing fatal diseases (Ippolito et al., 2010).
In addition to being a human pathogen, MRSA can also colonize and cause diseases in a variety of animals. However, carriage of LA-MRSA appeared to only confined in personnel with very close contact to livestock and in their household members.
Here are some of the latest studies published on emergence of Livestock associated MRSA and their potential transmission to humans and then back to animals.
Next most controversial and common superbug is of Klebsiella and E. coli harbouring -NDM 1 which hydrolyses penicillins and carbepenems and cephalosporins. Transmissible genetic element.
NDM 2 has an amino acid substitution from NDM1
Since its discovery it already has been found across the globe in human as well as animal population including companion animals. Emergence in animals is thus possibily indicating towards its potential to spread among different species.
First discovered in 2009 from samples taken in Sweden from a patient who have undergone some surgical treatment in New Delhi hospital. Then a newer article in The Lancet by more than 25 authors from India, UK, Pakistan found NDM-1 from Indian and Pakistan and uk patients and tried to confirm that it has been originated from India. Medical community and ministry of health and family welfare opposed it. Some articles were published in other journals to prove the confilicts.
As according to Chaiman of Medanta hospital calls it as ridiculous.
Antimicrobial peptides also called as host defense peptides are short and generally positively charged pptides found in variety of life forms from microorganisms to humans.
These synthetic molecules are called guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonates – biodegradable and non-toxic to human cells.
The “National Programme on the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance” was launched under the aegis of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the 12th Five Year Plan (2012 – 2017). Antibiotic stewardship refers to a set of coordinated strategies to improve use of antimicrobials with goal of enhancing patient health outcomes, reducing resistance and decreasing unnecessary costs.
Basically using evidence based treatment/responsible use of antibiotics
The national policy outlined the proposal for colour-coding antibiotic strips, and newer molecules (carbapenems, tigecycline, daptomycin, etc.), to eliminate their use outside of tertiary care settings.
The objectives of this programme were to establish a laboratory based AMR surveillance system of 30 network laboratories, generating quality data on AMR for pathogens of public health importance; to strengthen infection control guidelines and practices, and
promote rational use of antibiotics; and to generate awareness about the use of antibiotics in
both healthcare providers and in the communityThe Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned
the use of antibiotics and several pharmacologically active substances in fisheries.
IEC = information, Education and communication resources. Education and training – to improve the knowledge and behaviour of
Professionals. Strengthen laboratories – in human, animal, food and environment sectors – for
evidence-informed policy-making. Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance – in human, animal/food and environment sectors – for evidence-informed policy-making . AMS – Antimicrobial stewardship
Given that there are few regulations against the use of antibiotics for non-therapeutic purposes in India, the emergence of AMR from antibiotic overuse in the animal sector is likely to be an unmeasured burden in India.
In its National Action Plan on AMR published in 2017 the Indian government have not written clear satatement regarding ban on using antibiotics as growth promoters. And also the plan is not currently linked to any regulatory action.
Various NGOs are working for containment of AMR in India and raising awareness among school children and communities.
Using antibiotics as growth promoters has been banned in the European Union since 2006, and in the US was made illegal in 2017.
In 2014 India’s ministry of agriculture sent an advisory letter to all state governments asking them to review the use of antibiotic growth promoters. However the directive was non-binding, and none have introduced legislation to date.