Superbug mutation may have come from South Asia

Superbug came from South Asia - study

Superbugs in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K. may have originated from South Asia, British scientists said in a new study published Thursday.

About 200 water samples from New Delhi were collected and analyzed for the superbug gene. Two drinking water samples and 51 samples from puddles were found positive for the NDM-1 superbug gene that can turn ordinary microbes into more deadly ones that resist conventional antibiotics.

The researchers found no evidence of the superbug gene in any of the 70 water samples collected from Cardiff. Study author Mark Toleman of Cardiff University said that up to 500,000 New Delhi residents are being infected with the superbug gene.

First identified in 2008, the superbug was found in travelers from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, leading the researchers to conduct the study which was funded by the European Union.

Calling it a "waste of time", Indian health authorities deplored the findings of the British study, citing another study which showed negative signs of the superbug in New Delhi.

"We know that such bacteria with genes are in the atmosphere everywhere," said Indian Council of Medical Research director-general V.M. Katoch. "The study is creating a scare that India is a dangerous country to visit. We are condemning it."

British health officials have confirmed 70 cases of the superbug infection in the U.K. Experts warn that remaining complacent about this type of public health care threat may create epidemics or even a pandemic as the superbugs are spread by more travelers around the world.

Posted by George Daniels on Saturday April 09 2011, 5:11 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0