COVID-19 is one of the most common terms used in daily headlines nowadays. Although there have been other global pandemics that infected about a third of the world's population. For instance, the 1918 influenza pandemic lasted over a year and killed more than 50 million people. It seems that the…

The war between antibiotics and bacteria is a billion years old and continuing. From the 1950s to the 1970s, the maximum number of antibiotics got discovered to fight the deadly bugs. Still, humankind witnessed the rise of superbugs – those which are resistant to several antibiotics. The present situation is…

Considering the high demand for animal protein, animal growth promotion, and reduction of risk of disease are highly focused. Hence, a variety of antibiotics are introduced in animal feeds, mostly in pigs as well as in poultry. Animals upon consumption of antibiotics release antibiotic residues and superbugs in the environment…

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. When the affected part is the lung then it is named pulmonary tuberculosis. India, sharing a larger portion of the world’s TB burden is currently at a critical phase due to increasing drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB).   Ending the TB epidemic…

Escherichia coli (E.Coli) is a bacteria that is commonly found in the gut of humans and animals. The presence of E.Coli in water indicates that the water is contaminated with feces – a common scenario in communities lacking proper sanitation facilities due to various demographic, social, economic, and political reasons.…

Bacterial infections are one of the major threats to the healthcare sector. Moreover, recent incidences of secondary bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients further aggravate the problem. Though infections can be treated with antibiotics, injudicious use of antibiotics may increase the spread and emergence of ABR. In such a scenario, the…

Antibiotics have indeed contributed to the increased life expectancy of humankind. The more worrisome fact is that 50-90% of the consumed antibiotics are discharged out of the human body as such, ending up in the environment. In Sikkim, the water sources are limited. The inhabitants use spring water for daily…

It is well known that the upsurge of antibiotic resistance (ABR) in the environment is a global public health concern. However, sadly even today antibiotics are being used extensively to prevent or to treat bacterial infections in the environment. It includes aquaculture, humans, and animals. The key problem is that…

Mass distribution of antibiotics is an effective intervention to reduce childhood mortality. One such drug is Azithromycin which belongs to the macrolide variety, widely used in Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa. Further investigations have shown that similar interventions are also responsible for increased macrolide resistance in the gut…

The COVID-19 pandemic became a public health threat and challenging for the health system. The antibiotics treatment regimen took an important role during this situation. However, the microbiological and antibiotic data related to COVID-19 are not adequate. Although the co-infection related to bacterial and fungal are low in the patients…