Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Jan. 30, 2019

A new study has found traces of antibiotic resistance genes in the High Arctic region.It also included the ‘superbug’ or the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 protein (coded by NDM-1 gene), which was first detected in urban India in 2008.

Key Facts:
- Samples were collected from Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard – a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean – in 2013.
- Researchers found “comparatively localised” levels of blaNDM-1, which poses no health threat.
- However, the “detection reinforces how rapidly antibiotic resistance (AR) can globalize.
Importance Of This Study:
- The findings underscore the value of characterizing remote locations with minimal ‘impact’, providing a baseline for quantifying the spread of AR around the world.
- We already understand drivers for antibiotic resistance to be human misuse and overuse, poor sanitation and extensive use in agriculture.
- However, we still do not understand the pathways that cause this resistance to spread around the globe.
- Less than three years after the first detection of the blaNDM-1 gene, we found them thousands of miles away in an area where there has been minimal human impact.
- NDM-1 (blaNDM-1) is a clinical ARG that is not found in nature, and has to come from the urbanised world.
- Hence, this study presents a crucial step forward in understanding how AMR transmits around the globe.