Superbugs are a big health hazard resulting in 4.95 million deaths on average per year. Now, a superbug named Candida Auris has spread to 23 U.S. states. It has come under lens as it can hide in a person's hair follicles for months without any symptoms.

Superbug That Can Hide in Your Hair Spreads to 23 U.S. States | GRAVITAS 

<p paraeid="{d1bb398e-4b77-478d-807b-ae5b4947386c}{27}" paraid="322302446" >Researchers in Los Angeles have for the first time found bacteria that is highly resistant to colistin, considered to be the “last resort” antibiotic, in the US county’s wastewaters.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{04cf7ca1-c182-40ca-8331-d221cf252008}{80}" paraid="198157061" >The discovery was made while surveilling the untreated waters of Los Angeles’ largest treatment plants—the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey— a practice that began following Covid pandemic.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{180bd1be-992c-4fe9-9fe7-1f90f7175ae6}{235}" paraid="89665471" >Both facilities serve a total of about 7.5 million people, the Los Angeles Times&nbsp;newspaper reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{4f3c2050-1b7e-41f8-95d6-58d5bb00d10a}{29}" paraid="738692707" >It has alarmed scientists as this antibiotic—for which evidence of resistance has been found—is used when all other drugs, especially penicillin, fail to respond.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{c355397d-a204-4561-9ad8-3a5ee025525e}{179}" paraid="432105242" >“Testing found antibiotic resistance genes on two novel small plasmids, circular pieces of DNA that can be shared among different types of unrelated bacteria,” said researcher Adam Smith, associate professor of environmental engineering at USC,&nbsp;whose findings were published&nbsp;in Environmental Science &amp; Technology Letters.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{ed41d3a0-0757-4bfb-bace-1a2873ddbe5e}{19}" paraid="1494487626" >“This is probably the scariest aspect: the potential for this resistance to spread widely across different bacterial populations,” Smith said.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{b6d0ade5-209e-4d51-8952-14b92011dae3}{29}" paraid="1327271776" >He noted that this type of antibiotic resistant gene has been found in "six&nbsp;of seven continents",&nbsp;but this is the first time that traces of this antibiotic resistance have been found in LA.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Iran successfully tests homemade kamikaze drone equipped with 50 kg warhead</strong></h2>

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<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the major threats to global health, food security, and development.&nbsp;</div>

<p paraeid="{c57dac1c-e181-4097-ac07-f723119ecd9f}{12}" paraid="728668738" >Although it occurs naturally, misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is believed to be triggering the process.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{1bc2fe46-7588-4b84-9297-e77c6cfe8e97}{231}" paraid="1844685901" >The global health agency noted that it is becoming difficult to treat a growing number of infections, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and salmonellosis, as antibotics are becoming less effective.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{655339fb-8d1e-4ca2-9b53-39f888e19d8d}{47}" paraid="690219926" >“We could get to the point where we can’t combat infections with antibiotics,” Smith said, “so we’re entering sort of a post-antibiotic world.”&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{7de74849-5429-425c-8d06-52cee049f31c}{48}" paraid="1606967492" >What’s particularly concerning is that antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{655339fb-8d1e-4ca2-9b53-39f888e19d8d}{203}" paraid="1743149013" >Colistin was originally discovered in 2015 in China and has been documented on every continent except Antarctica, Smith said. &nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{7de74849-5429-425c-8d06-52cee049f31c}{116}" paraid="406036952" >That includes in Los Angeles, where a resident who died in 2016&nbsp;was found to have been infected with&nbsp;E. coli&nbsp;bacteria&nbsp;that carried a colistin resistance gene.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{7de74849-5429-425c-8d06-52cee049f31c}{126}" paraid="134914646" >(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</p>

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Researchers in Los Angeles have for the first time found bacteria that is highly resistant to colistin, considered to be the “last resort” antibiotic, in the US county’s wastewaters.

Researchers in Los Angeles have for the first time found bacteria that is highly resistant to colistin, considered to be the “last resort” antibiotic, in the US county’s wastewaters. The discovery was made while surveilling the untreated waters of Los Angeles’ largest treatment plants—the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey— a practice that began following Covid pandemic. Both facilities serve a total of about 7.5 million people, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported. It has alarmed scientists as this antibiotic—for which evidence of resistance has been found—is used when all other drugs, especially penicillin, fail to respond. “Testing found antibiotic resistance genes on two novel small plasmids, circular pieces of DNA that can be shared among different types of unrelated bacteria,” said researcher Adam Smith, associate professor of environmental engineering at USC, whose findings were published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. “This is probably the scariest aspect: the potential for this resistance to spread widely across different bacterial populations,” Smith said. He noted that this type of antibiotic resistant gene has been found in "six of seven continents", but this is the first time that traces of this antibiotic resistance have been found in LA. Iran successfully tests homemade kamikaze drone equipped with 50 kg warhead According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the major threats to global health, food security, and development. Although it occurs naturally, misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is believed to be triggering the process. The global health agency noted that it is becoming difficult to treat a growing number of infections, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and salmonellosis, as antibotics are becoming less effective. “We could get to the point where we can’t combat infections with antibiotics,” Smith said, “so we’re entering sort of a post-antibiotic world.” What’s particularly concerning is that antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality. Colistin was originally discovered in 2015 in China and has been documented on every continent except Antarctica, Smith said. That includes in Los Angeles, where a resident who died in 2016 was found to have been infected with E. coli bacteria that carried a colistin resistance gene. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Bacteria resistant to 'last resort' antibiotic found in Los Angeles for first time  

<p>A new study by Lancet has found that India severely overuses antibiotics and a huge part of the formulations that the country's private sector uses aren't even approved by the Central drug regulator.</p>

<p>The private sector's use contributes to about 85-90 per cent of the total antibiotic use in India and more than 47 per cent of the formulations used in 2019 are not approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), says the study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia&nbsp;as reported by PTI.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas Plus: Self-medication and why you should avoid it</strong></p>

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<p>According to the study, cefixime 200 mg tablets (6.5 per cent) and azithromycin 500 mg tablets (7.5 per cent) were the two most popular antibiotic formulations in India during the year.</p>

<p>"Largely unrestricted over-the-counter sales of most antibiotics, manufacturing and marketing of many FDC and overlap in regulatory powers between national and state-level agencies complicate antibiotics availability, sales, and consumption in the country," said the authors of the study.</p>

<p>The over-the-counter sale of antibiotics is also giving rise to complications like antibiotic resistance.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-pandemic-increased-antibiotic-resistant-bacterial-infections-study-473991">Covid pandemic increased antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections: Study</a></strong></p>

<p>"Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a significant driver of antibiotic resistance in India," noted the study.</p>

<p>As per WHO, antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Where antibiotics can be bought for human or animal use without a prescription, the emergence and spread of resistance is made worse."</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mysteries-of-the-ocean-iridescent-elvis-worms-that-shimmer-discovered-thousands-of-feet-underwater-513722" hreflang="en">Mysteries of the ocean: Iridescent 'Elvis' worms that shimmer discovered thousands of feet underwater</a></strong></p>

<p>Researchers based their study on information acquired from a group of 9,000 wholesalers who stock goods from about 5,000 pharmaceutical manufacturers, reports PTI.</p>

<p>The public sector, which as per estimates from the national health accounts and other studies makes up for less than 15–20 per cent of all drug sales in the nation, is not included in the Lancet study.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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A new study by Lancet has found that India severely overuses antibiotics and a huge part of the formulations that the country's private sector uses aren't even approved by the Central drug regulator.

A new study by Lancet has found that India severely overuses antibiotics and a huge part of the formulations that the country's private sector uses aren't even approved by the Central drug regulator. The private sector's use contributes to about 85-90 per cent of the total antibiotic use in India and more than 47 per cent of the formulations used in 2019 are not approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), says the study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia as reported by PTI. Watch | Gravitas Plus: Self-medication and why you should avoid it According to the study, cefixime 200 mg tablets (6.5 per cent) and azithromycin 500 mg tablets (7.5 per cent) were the two most popular antibiotic formulations in India during the year. "Largely unrestricted over-the-counter sales of most antibiotics, manufacturing and marketing of many FDC and overlap in regulatory powers between national and state-level agencies complicate antibiotics availability, sales, and consumption in the country," said the authors of the study. The over-the-counter sale of antibiotics is also giving rise to complications like antibiotic resistance. Also read | Covid pandemic increased antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections: Study "Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a significant driver of antibiotic resistance in India," noted the study. As per WHO, antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. "Where antibiotics can be bought for human or animal use without a prescription, the emergence and spread of resistance is made worse." Also read | Mysteries of the ocean: Iridescent 'Elvis' worms that shimmer discovered thousands of feet underwater Researchers based their study on information acquired from a group of 9,000 wholesalers who stock goods from about 5,000 pharmaceutical manufacturers, reports PTI. The public sector, which as per estimates from the national health accounts and other studies makes up for less than 15–20 per cent of all drug sales in the nation, is not included in the Lancet study. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India is overmedicating on unapproved drugs, getting antibiotic resistant: Lancet study

The humble kitchen sponge has always been viewed as the breeding ground for germs. In fact, in a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, German researchers found the presence of more than 54 billion bacteria across 118 genera in kitchen sponges. They also found that cleaning the sponge thoroughly did not help much. But now, thanks to a new study, this very kitchen sponge could provide the key to fighting antibiotic resistant bacteria

India Watch: What is antibiotic resistance?

antibiotic-resistance

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