Can use genomic labs set up during pandemic to measure antimicrobial resistance: Soumya Swaminathan

Tamil Nadu could use the genomic testing laboratories set up during the COVID-19 pandemic to measure the level of antimicrobial resistance by analysing effluents from pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, said Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

At the inauguration of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week celebrations here on Monday, organised by Alagappa College of Technology and the Tamil Nadu Council for Science and Technology (TNCST), Dr. Soumya, former Chief Scientist and Deputy Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), called for testing effluents from pharmaceutical companies, water let out by hospitals, and the soil to assess the levels of antibiotic use.

“During COVID-19, we did wastewater surveillance to check for coronavirus variants. We have the genomic capacity. By analysing water let out by pharmaceutical industries and hospitals, we can get an idea of the level of antimicrobial resistance,” she said. Only in India did COVID-19 patients contract ‘black fungus’, which she pointed out was the direct result of indiscriminate use of steroids.

Hospitals should conduct surveillance of infections on their premises, and the results should be made public, Dr. Soumya said, pointing out that 30,000 newborns in India die annually in intensive care units as they are resistant to drugs. She added: “The government should give grants to encourage the development of rapid diagnostic tests to check for antimicrobial resistance. Such tests will help advice the correct dose of antibiotics.” 

Dr. Soumya said Indian generic pharmaceutical companies, with their experience in developing COVID-19 vaccines, could step in, and the government could support the development of new antibiotics. When Tamil Nadu’s One Health Committee meets on December 4, it must take up the issue of developing an AMR policy, she added.

S. Meenakshisundaram, dean of Alagappa College of Technology, said Anna University’s Department of Biotechnology had worked on a simple diagnostic method to detect a urinary tract infection in six hours. The device was currently in the validation stage, he added. S. Vincent, TNCST Member Secretary, also spoke.