With a report of an antibiotic resistant superbug originating from India creating an uproar, its lead author has dismissed as hypothetical the conclusion that the bacteria was transmitted from the country and said some interpretations were made without his knowledge. Mr Karthikeyan Kumarasawamy said there was nothing to worry or fear about the superbug, termed New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamese.
He also said some interpretations in the report were written without his knowledge. "Without my knowledge some of the interpretations were written in the report", he said.
The Department of Health in UK has already put out an alert on the issue, raising the hackles of the Indian medical fraternity. The Union health ministry also came out with a hard-hitting statement against the report, saying the contents of the article present a "frightening picture" which is not supported by any scientific data.
"The media has speculated the whole matter. That the bacteria was transmitted from our country is just hypothetical. Unless we analyse samples from across the globe to confirm its presence, we can only speculate", Erode-based, Mr Karthikeyan told PTI.
Mr Karthikeyan, research student at A L Mudaliar postgraduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, co-authored the research article with Timothy Walsh, published in 'Lancet'.
He said the NDM-1 bacteria was not a big issue and that the "bacteria was not that big and vulnerable as H1NI, which currently exists."