After the COVID-19 virus, superbugs can be a matter of concern among newly vaccinated people travelling abroad. US and Dutch researchers examining the impacts of travel on the bacteria in our guts found a bacterial gene resistant to antibiotics for infections such as pneumonia and meningitis. According to a Deccan Herald report, one of the researchers, Alaric D’Souza, said, “These findings provide strong support that international travel risks spreading antimicrobial resistance globally”. Read on to know more.
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International Travellers Might Be Reservoirs Or Spreaders Of Superbugs
After investigating the feces of 190 Dutch travellers before and after their travel to parts of Asia and Africa, researchers have found out that international travellers might be ‘reservoirs and spreaders’ of superbugs. These superbugs are antimicrobial-resistant (AMR), that do not respond to common antibiotics. The researchers especially showed their concern over passengers who returned from Southeast Asia carrying the colistin-resistant mcr-1 gene. Colistin, also called polymyxin E, is an antibiotic medication used as a last-resort treatment for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections including pneumonia. Flying Out Of India? QR Code On RT-PCR Reports Mandatory For International Flights
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Superbugs Can Be Destination Specific
Experts have found the genes to be destination-specific. D’Souza has stated that it is important to address the AMR with powerful resistance rates in low-income nations having low public health funds. The research has also warned that the superbugs trend can threaten 70 years of advancement in treating infections caused by bacteria. Thus, experts hold that the understanding of how these genes spread can assist international public health.