A world's leading medical journal study reported that a gene that makes bacteria resistant to a large range of antibiotics has been found in water supplies of New Delhi.

According to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal, the leading independent general medical journal in the world, bacteria carrying the NDM-1 or the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 gene was found in two of 50 drinking water samples and 51 of the 171 seepage samples taken from both tap water and seepage samples in pools or in rivulets in streets within a 12km radius of central Delhi.

The Cardiff University's School of Medicine team of Scientists led by Prof. Timothy Walsh, Janis Weeks, David Livermore and Mark Toleman said they were prompted to test the environment in Delhi when they discovered that while a number of patients with the bacteria had recently visited India for various medical treatments and cosmetic surgeries, some did not even had hospital treatments.

The study reported that NDM-1 can gene can make certain gram negative bacteria like E.coli and Klebsiella resistant against powerful antibiotics called carbapenems which are usually last resort antibiotics or used only when all other antibiotics fail. The gene has been found out to have spread to more than a dozen species of bacteria that cause pneumonia, cholera and dysentery.

Team leader Walsh expressed concern that NDM-1 is widespread in the water used for cooking, washing and drinking in New Delhi. According to Walsh the potential for movement around the world is high. He explained that the spread of bacteria carrying the gene will be potentially high in communities with poor sanitation, high temperature, and crowded population.

"We need similar environment studies in cities throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to establish how widepread resistant bacteria are," Toleman said.

Indian health authorities criticized the report saying the study was non-scientific and the journal has repeatedly targeted the Indian capital when it is known that superbugs like NDM-1 exist everywhere.

A separate study conducted by the Indian Health Ministry in the last two years using stool samples of pregnant women at Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi found that all microbes in the samples were sensitive to carbapenems.

Meanwhile, Walsh said India is "Starting to come out of denial" as it has now taken steps towards introducing a surveillance programme. #30