Data from well known medical journals across the world has documented emergence of similar metallo-ß-lactamases bacteria from at least 28 countries,including South Korea,Japan,China,Greece,Brazil,Australia,Italy,Portugal and Spain. However,it is for the first time that the superbug has been named after the place of origin in this case New Delhi. Microbiologist and Deputy Dean of B J Medical College and Sassoon Hospital Dr Renu Bharadwaj,who studied data on New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1),said there were reports of similar bacteria from all over the world. Similar metallo-ß-lactamases bacteria have been reported from at least 28 countries. Other types of carbapenemase producing bacteria have been reported from 1980s,Bharadwaj told The Indian Express,expressing surprise that a new strain of superbug from the same group of bacteria was named as New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1). NDM-1 is an enzyme which makes bacteria resistant to a broad range of beta-lactam antibiotics. This includes antibiotics of the carbapenem family,which are a mainstay for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Similar bacteria have been reported since 1995 and from many countries. Since facilities for gene sequencing are not easily available,none of the genes which coded for the production of enzymes was ever named after the country where the enzyme was first detected, says Dr Vikram Padbidri,head of the Department of Microbiology and Infection Control at Jehangir Hospital. Organism E coli (enzyme VIM-1) was isolated in 2001 in Greece and reported in the same journal in 2003 and 2004. (VIM -1 is the international nomenclature of the enzyme produced by the organism that kills the antibiotic). Australia had isolated organism K pneumoniae and E coli- IMP-4 enzyme. These organisms were isolated in 2002 and reported in the journal in 2004. Organism C youngae was isolated in China and reported in the journal in 2004. In Japan,in 1994-1995,organism K pneumoniae (enzyme IMP-1 like) was isolated and reported in 1996. Again in Japan from 1998-2000 organisms C freundii,P vulgaris and S marcescens were isolated and reported in 2003. South Korea had isolated E cloacae organisms in 2000 which was published in 2003. E cloacae organism had been isolated in Turkey while Spain had isolated K pneumoniae in 2003 and published the report in 2005. Many of these resistant strains have travelled the globe after their origin in country of detection.
