Mapping AMR Genes: Unveiling a Threat in Urban Wastewater

A team of researchers from CSIR–CCMB, in collaboration with partner institutions, has discovered extensive patterns of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in bacteria found in the wastewater of major Indian cities. This research offers new insights into a pressing global health threat.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria develop ways to endure drugs meant to eliminate them, such as antibiotics, and is already a significant cause of millions of deaths globally each year. This growing concern poses a formidable challenge to modern medicine, as revealed in a press briefing by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

This study, published in Nature Communications, stands as one of India's most comprehensive efforts, mapping AMR genes across urban wastewater. Beyond identifying widespread threats, researchers recommend using pathogen surveillance in wastewater more extensively in India—offering a vision for improved public health amid regional infrastructural challenges.