According to a Times of India report, an AIIMS New Delhi study discovered that a certain type of bacteria that thrives in the Ganga is more effective than some existing medications in treating serious human diseases.
The novel bacteria, in the opinion of the researchers, would be the greatest substitute for presently used antibiotics that had lost their efficacy in treating bloodstream infections, severe burns, surgical sites, and lung infections including pneumonia, bed sores, and diabetic infection.
The AIIMS microbiology department conducted research on water samples collected from several Ganga ghats in Varanasi four years ago. The holy river Ganga is reputed to be a rich source of bacteria.
One of the microorganisms in the water included DNA that may be utilised to treat human diseases that are drug-resistant, according to researchers. The department gave the microbe the name Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in particular, is a bacteria that affects immunocompromised persons.
Dr Rama Chaudhry, the department’s head, asserted that antibiotics including ceftazidime, imipenem, and amikacin have been shown to be ineffective at treating infections. Additionally, bacteria were developing drug resistance, creating a conundrum of few antibiotic choices and higher treatment costs.
Dr Rama said, “Some types of bacterial infections are often severe and even have high mortality and morbidity. There are cases where people develop severe skin sores because of diabetes and body parts have to be cut off.”
“This aeruginosa has also been identified by WHO as a priority pathogen. This indicates a need to prioritise the discovery and development of new antimicrobial treatments,” she added.
Dr Rama continued by mentioning other occasions in which patients with severe cases of bodily ailments arrived at the hospital but no antibiotics were available or useful for use in their circumstances. She stated that it is anticipated that this novel bacteria would be quite effective in treating such cases.
In contrast to previous antibiotics that kill helpful body microorganisms, this unique Ganga water microbe has been demonstrated to be immune system unharmful, according to Dr Nisha Rathor, a member of the study team.
When an organism becomes resistant to an antibiotic or antifungal that it was previously susceptible to, this is known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The typical treatment for that particular ailment then stops working, leading to the continuation of the infection. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria may be to blame for 13 million deaths in 2019, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
