UTI, typhoid, pneumonia not responding to antibiotics: Top medical body ICMR

Some diseases, like urinary tract infections (UTIs), blood infections, pneumonia, and typhoid, are becoming harder to treat because the bacteria causing them are not responding to common antibiotics anymore.

In Short

• Even commonly used antibiotics are losing their ability to fight infections effectively
• Diseases like UTIs, blood infections, pneumonia and typhoid are getting harder to treat
• Continuous surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibilities is crucial, says ICMR

The latest report by India's medical panel has revealed a troubling rise in antibiotic resistance across the country.

Some diseases, like urinary tract infections (UTIs), blood infections, pneumonia, and typhoid, are becoming harder to treat because the bacteria causing them are not responding to common antibiotics anymore.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (AMRSN) released its annual report that focused on common antibiotics used to treat infections like pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory infections, and diarrhoea.

The findings of the seventh detailed report are based on data collected from hospitals and clinics across India, covering both outpatients and intensive care units (ICUs) between January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.

The report tested antibiotics against bacteria such as E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria were found in samples from various parts of the body, including blood, urine, respiratory tract, and infections.

A total of 99,492 samples were analysed from both public and private healthcare centres.

One of the key findings was the increasing resistance of E. coli, particularly in ICU (intensive care units) and outpatient settings. Many antibiotics, such as cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin, showed less than 20% effectiveness against this bacteria.

Similarly, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa also demonstrated rising resistance, particularly to important antibiotics like piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem, and meropenem.

The report showed that the effectiveness of many antibiotics has been decreasing over time. For instance, piperacillin-tazobactam dropped from 56.8% effectiveness in 2017 to just 42.4% in 2023.

Even commonly used antibiotics like amikacin and meropenem are losing their ability to fight infections effectively.

Gram-negative bacteria, which can cause infections in any part of the body, are the most commonly found germs in important samples like blood, urine, and the lungs.

ICMR researchers found that the bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, like Salmonella typhi, were found to have developed over 95% resistance to fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics commonly used to treat severe infections.

"Continuous surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibilities is crucial for tailoring empiric antibiotic therapy, optimizing patient outcomes, and controlling the spread of resistance," the report said.

The report calls for urgent action to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, urging stricter control over antibiotic use.

It also highlighted the misuse of critical antibiotics in agriculture, which contributes to the resistance problem. Stronger measures are needed to preserve the effectiveness of essential antibiotics for both human and animal health, the report stated.

Previous survey by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the union health ministry found that almost half of the antibiotics prescribed in India are causing antimicrobial resistance.