Japan on Tuesday confirmed the nation’s first case of a new gene in bacteria, known as NDM-1, that allows microorganisms to become drug-resistant superbugs, detected in a man who had medical treatment in India, a health ministry official said.
The man, in his 50s, was hospitalised in April 2009 after returning from India where he had medical treatment. Officials declined to say what kind of treatment the man had received in India, citing privacy. The man had high fever while staying at a hospital in Tochigi, north of Tokyo and was discharged last October.
The Dokkyo Medical University Hospital kept a preserved sample of the suspected superbug from the man. The hospital examined the sample after British medical journal Lancet’s report.
The Tochigi hospital notified the health ministry about the detection of the NDM-1 gene. It told the ministry that no in-hospital infections were found. Following the confirmation of the discovery — Japan’s first NDM-1 case — the health ministry launched a nationwide survey, asking local health authorities to check on hospitals for evidence of more infections.
Along with India, the new superbug gene has been detected in small numbers in Australia, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Researchers say since many Americans and Europeans travel to India and Pakistan for elective procedures like cosmetic surgery, it was likely the superbug gene would spread worldwide.
In Mumbai, former head of microbiology, JJ Hospital, current director of Haffkine's Institute and President of Indian Association of Medical Microbiology Dr Abhay Chaudhary, said, “Drug-resistant bacteria are not new. Whenever we use a particular antibiotic, bacteria will always try to develop resistance to it. This is a natural phenomena.”
“Right since the time penicillin was used as an antibiotic, resistance has been seen to drugs,” he pointed out.
"The potential of NDM-1 to be a worldwide public health problem is great, and coordinated international surveillance is needed," said a widely publicised report in the Lancet in August, which pinpointed India as the country of origin.
“There is no point in blaming India over and over again because bugs have no geographical boundaries. Instead governments should take necessary precautions,” said Chaudhary.
“We need to really gear up to screen the patient to see if they are carrying any bugs or not,” he added.
“We need to curtail excessive and improper use of antibiotics. At the same time, hospitals need to improve their infection control measures. Simple things like hand-washing in hospitals can make a difference,” said Dr SN Acharya, general physician.
“Drug resistance is a global phenomenon and not just in India or New Delhi. So all countries need to become more vigilant,” added Dr Ashok Rane, another physician.
—With inputs from Deepa Suryanarayan
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