Antibiotic-Resistant Genes (ARGs) that were first detected in urban India have been found 8,000 miles away in one of the last ‘pristine’ places on earth, a new study has shown.
Antibiotic-Resistant Genes (ARGs) that were first detected in urban India have been found 8,000 miles away in one of the last ‘pristine’ places on earth, a new study has shown.
Soil samples taken in the Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard have now confirmed the spread of blaNDM-1 into the High Arctic – an ARG originally found in Indian clinical settings, which confer multidrug resistance (MDR) in microorganisms.
Worldwide spread of blaNDM-1 and other ARGs is a growing concern because they often target “last resort” classes of antibiotics, including Carbapenems.
Carried in the gut of animals and people, the research team, led by Newcastle University’s Professor David Graham, say the blaNDM-1 and other medically-important ARGs that were found in Arctic soils were likely spread in the faecal matter of migratory birds, other wildlife and human visitors to the area.
Read more at Newcastle University
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