Nimhans is on superbug trail

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As the clamour over respected international medical journal Lancet’s fresh comments on the superbug - controversially named New Delhi metallo beta lactamase detected in Delhi’s water supply - creates ripples in India, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) has stepped in.

In a bid to ascertain whether the strain exists in India, NIMHANS has begun a study on the drug resistant ‘superbug’, collecting samples from cases in the city, and other parts of the country.

“The neuromicrobiology department at our institute is conducting a study,”confirmed Dr P. Satish Chandra, director, NIMHANS.

“Samples have been collected from people with symptoms of meningitis and other brain infections. Cerebro-spinal and other body fluids and secretions are extracted from the suspected cases to test the presence of the superbug,”said Dr R. Ravikumar, professor and head, department of Neuromicrobiology.

The study will focus on the multi-drug resistance gram negative bacilli.

Doctors said that this drug resistant gene is generally found in bacteria like E-Coli, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas.