Researchers at IIT Bombay have developed a DNA-based strategy to make drug-resistant bacteria responsive to antibiotics again, addressing the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
The Union health ministry has issued draft rules to mandate a blue vertical strip on all antimicrobial drug labels, aiming to rein in over-the-counter misuse and tackle India's growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem.
How India can defend itself in the war against superbugs.
'Indiscriminate use results in resistance to pathogens, rendering these life-saving drugs useless.' 'Unnecessary antibiotic treatment could have other detrimental health effects that affect immunity and metabolism,' notes Aparna Kotekar.
The study quantifies the growing alarm surrounding antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and a loss of efficacy among antibiotics used to combat the most common illnesses.
Experts say that in these cases, not only are the antibiotics not necessary, but they actual contribute to the evolution and spread of superbugs. Instead, doctors have been told to prescribe drugs that alleviate symptoms rather than those which attempt to eradicate the bugs altogether. This more conventional treatment allows the body to do its natural duty and fight off the bug on its own.
A team of experts has, in fact, tracked the enzyme in Britain, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and believes it to be more widespread than first thought. It is said to be resistant even to a class of antibiotics known as carbapenems, which are reserved for use in emergencies and used when bacteria are found to be resistant to more commonly prescribed antibiotics.
The H3N2, which has been in wide circulation for the past two-three months, causes more hospitalisations than other subtypes, said ICMR scientists who keep a close watch on ailments caused by respiratory viruses through the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories network.
A green body has urged tennis star Sania Mirza to disassociate herself from a 'misleading' advertorial by an organisation representing the poultry industry.
Sale of antibiotics is under the scanner. Government to go tough on misuse of these drugs.
A notice issued by the Indian Health Ministry at the weekend said that a government-appointed committee of experts had found that the banned combinations were "likely to involve risk to human beings, whereas safer alternatives to the said drug are available."
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M Jumper, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.
They have developed a substance that melts the germ's cell surface rapidly, preventing it from producing a new generation of bugs that have adapted to the medicine.
Commonly used anti-malaria drugs may have an unwanted side-effect -- decreasing the power of many antibiotics.Canadian scientists believe the malaria drug chloroquine -- chemically similar to the antibiotics -- may have caused the problem.The study was published in the Public Library of Science journal. Antibiotic resistance is a major problem in Western countries, where strains of disease-causing bacteria such as Staphylococcus beat some of the most commonly-used drugs.
Yet the international response to this threat caused by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs has been feeble, they said.
'Assuming he has a sensitive bug, which is responsive to antibiotics, it may not necessarily be the worst-case scenario.'
Health & family welfare ministry's proposal seeks to restrict sale of antibiotics to check self-medication.
With a report of an antibiotic resistant superbug originating from India creating an uproar, its lead author has dismissed as hypothetical the conclusion that the bacteria was transmitted from the country and said some interpretations were made without his knowledge.
Physicians suspect more fluids help to reduce bacteria and limit the ability of bacteria to attach to the bladder.
How can we protect ourselves against superbugs?
'We ought to do something now because even the bacteria we have treatments for now we don't use wisely... We have reached a point where there aren't any new antibiotics coming out... Patients must get the right antibiotic at the right dose for the right amount of time,' says Dr Arjun Srinivasan, the acclaimed scientist who is an expert on bacterial resistance.
'Unfortunately, during this pandemic, everybody started saying that well, these are desperate times and desperate times need desperate solutions.' 'Purely out of fear, anxiety, panic, this knowledge that people started acquiring from WhatsApp University and social media, it pushed science completely to the backseat.'
Astronauts aboard the space station have found themselves facing a foe far tinier than any rogue asteroid: A joint study by IIT-Madras and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory -- under Principal Investigator Kasthuri Venkateswaran -- has revealed that strains of the bacterial species Enterobacter bugandensis, a multi-drug resistant superbug, have been hitting the gym in the microgravity crucible. Though the situation at the ISS is slightly unsettling, holding funeral dirges would be an overkill, says Kumar Abishek.
The petitioner's lawyer interjected the rules are being framed for the last 5-6 years but nothing concrete has been done yet.
Concerned about the rise of antibiotic resistance and the time it takes for drugs developed abroad to reach Indians, the government is considering holding its own clinical trials. Clinical trials for new drugs have so far primarily been conducted only by private Indian or foreign drug firms. But given the stringent nature of India's regulatory environment for clinical trials, several pharmaceutical companies have moved their trials out of India. As a result, only 1.2 per cent of global clinical trials take place in India.
'Wastewater containing excreted material can tell us how a community is doing in a particular area pertaining to any epidemic, pandemic, and other bacterial and viral diseases.'
Meet Lysinbacillus telephonicus, Microbacterium telephonicum, Pyrenochaeta telephoni.
'These medicines will ensure that our brave soldiers do not suffer from unwanted blood loss while being taken to a better healthcare from war zones'
The device is intended for use in remote laboratory settings.
Along with persistent cough that may last for several weeks, tuberculosis patients also complain of frequent bouts of fever, chills and sweating at night, says Dr Rahul Kendre.
The annual award includes a pure gold medal, a citation and a prize purse worth $ 100,000 or its equivalent in the Indian rupees.
If you have a fever and symptoms of a UTI, or if your symptoms persist despite treatment, you should see a doctor.
Adults are as likely as children to fall prey to diseases that immunisation can potentially prevent.
German Olympic sailors, one of whom was infected last year by a flesh-eating bacteria after a test run in Rio de Janeiro's sewage-tainted Guanabara Bay, said this week they are less worried about health risks than racing effectively in shifty winds and wild currents while avoiding floating debris.
If you thought sexually transmitted diseases, STDs, are easily curable then this bit of news might ruffle you a bit. A new strain of drug-resistant Gonorrhoea -- medically named HO41 has turned resistant to almost all antibiotics -- were deteted in a Japanese prostitute and this has led to a mild panic throughout the world. As they say prevention is better than cure here are 10 tips that will help you keep away from STDs.
Dr Rajeshwari, head of the Microbiology department at the Narayan Hrudalaya in Bengaluru tells rediff.com about the effects of NDM-1 and also the measures needed to curb the spread of this enzyme.
US-based pharmaceutical major Eli Lilly on Thursday announced a $70 million initiative as part of its effort to combat the spread of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in India and other developing countries.
Quoting experts, BBC has claimed that bacteria that make an enzyme called NDM-1 or New Delhi-Metallo-1, have travelled back with NHS patients who went abroad to countries like India and Pakistan for treatments such as cosmetic surgery.
Injury due to self-cleaning of ears with Q-tips or sharp objects like pencils, pins, forceps also contribute to hearing loss, warns Dr Aditi Sinha.
'Mucor is an environmental fungus, and it's much more prevalent in hot and humid areas.' 'The amount of fungus in the air is much higher in India than some other parts of the world.'
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