'Lancet refused to publish India's rebuttal on NDM-1 issue'

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International health journal 'Lancet', which had first published an article naming a drug-resistant superbug after New Delhi, had refused to publish India's rebuttal in the matter last year.

The rebuttal was sent by the National Centre for Disease Control expressing disagreement over the naming of bacteria as New Delhi Metallo Beta-lactamase-1.

Responding to it, John McConnel, the editor of Lancet Infectious Diseases sent a letter to then Director, NCDC, R. L. Ichhpujani refusing to publish the document, NCDC sources said.

The Lancet had first reported on the new superbug in its study 'Emergence of a new antibiotic resistance mechanism in India, Pakistan and the UK : a molecular, biological and epidemiological study' published online dated August 11, 2010.

McConnel's letter said, "Thank you for submitting your manuscript to the Lancet infectious diseases. The journal's editors have discussed the manuscript and our decision is that it would be better placed elsewhere. We currently receive far more submissions than we have space to publish and therefore have to reject many otherwise worthy papers."

"We are sorry we cannot be more helpful on this occasion, and we hope you will think of us again in the future," the letter dated November 2, 2010 said.

The Lancet had published its first article on the NDM-I superbug on August 11 last year following which the Indian government had registered its protest.

Lancet Editor Richard Horton had subsequently, while on a visit to India, apologised for the bacteria being named after New Delhi.

The journal again came out with an article last week claiming to have found the presence of NDM-I in the capital's public water supply. The report was dismissed by the Union Health Ministry.