The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among pathogens is a major public health c... more The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among pathogens is a major public health crisis that might soon lead to a post-antibiotic era. Klebsiella pneumoniae, included in the World Health Organization list of critical priority pathogens, is an emerging threat to global health owing to the rapid rise of convergent AMR and hypervirulent strains. Comprehensive epidemiology of AMR-hypervirulent determinants in K. pneumoniae from Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is still lacking. As part of rapid risk assessment, an in-silico approach was employed to characterize the AMR and hypervirulence determinants in K. pneumoniae from LMICs. Genomic data of 2432 K. pneumoniae strains were obtained from 33 LMICs representing 4 continents; Asia (n = 12), Africa (n = 18), N. America (n = 2) and Europe (n = 1). All the analysed strains were multiple-drug resistant and 13.6% of them were hypervirulent as well. The co-existence of antibiotic resistant genes conferring concomitant resistance towards life-saving drugs (carbapenems, colistin, fluoroquinolones and fosfomycin) were also observed among the strains, thereby challenging the efficacy of current treatment strategies. The emergence of convergent strains of K. pneumoniae carrying both multi-drug resistance and hypervirulence-associated genes in 12 LMICs is highlighted in this study. Asian region was identified as the major hotspot for convergent strains, especially being confined to 3 countries (India, Pakistan and Vietnam), further exacerbating the situation. This represents a major challenge to disease treatment and public health management in the LMICs. Regular surveillance for emergence of convergence and necessary interventions in the high-risk regions are strongly recommended.
Rapid industrialization of the city of Coimbatore in the recent past has imposed stress on ground... more Rapid industrialization of the city of Coimbatore in the recent past has imposed stress on groundwater resources, resulting in quantity depletion and quality deterioration. The present study aimed at evaluating the groundwater quality of Coimbatore city, India. Qualitative analysis of 17 groundwater samples were made during the postmonsoon and pre-monsoon in 2015. As groundwater forms a dominant source for irrigation and domestic purposes, an evaluation of its suitability for these purposes were assessed. Classic geochemical methods have been coupled with geospatial approaches to arrive at the geochemical processes controlling the hydrochemistry of groundwater. The study reveals that the high concentration of Nickel and Total Dissolved Solids in the groundwater is caused due to the contamination from textile mill effluent, which is discharged into the Noyyal river and ultimately join the water table. The influence of this contamination is reflected in the geochemical processes, wherein the contaminated area exhibits different water type at different seasons; Ca-type water was converted to Na-type or mixed Na, Ca-type during the transition from post-monsoon to pre-monsoon. Majority of the samples are influenced by rock-water interaction and the dominance of the processes followed the order ion exchange > weathering > reverse ion exchange. The major driving force for ion exchange between Ca 2þ in rock and Na þ in water was the abundance of Na þ in the percolating water, which is contributed by textile effluent. Among the weathering process, carbonate weathering dominated silicate weathering due to the presence of limestone deposit and red calcareous soil. The quantification of saturation index suggests that carbonate minerals are super saturated in the groundwater in the following order: dolomite > calcite > aragonite, while other minerals including fluorite, halite and gypsum were unsaturated.
The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among pathogens is a major public health c... more The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among pathogens is a major public health crisis that might soon lead to a post-antibiotic era. Klebsiella pneumoniae, included in the World Health Organization list of critical priority pathogens, is an emerging threat to global health owing to the rapid rise of convergent AMR and hypervirulent strains. Comprehensive epidemiology of AMR-hypervirulent determinants in K. pneumoniae from Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is still lacking. As part of rapid risk assessment, an in-silico approach was employed to characterize the AMR and hypervirulence determinants in K. pneumoniae from LMICs. Genomic data of 2432 K. pneumoniae strains were obtained from 33 LMICs representing 4 continents; Asia (n = 12), Africa (n = 18), N. America (n = 2) and Europe (n = 1). All the analysed strains were multiple-drug resistant and 13.6% of them were hypervirulent as well. The co-existence of antibiotic resistant genes conferring concomitant resistance towards life-saving drugs (carbapenems, colistin, fluoroquinolones and fosfomycin) were also observed among the strains, thereby challenging the efficacy of current treatment strategies. The emergence of convergent strains of K. pneumoniae carrying both multi-drug resistance and hypervirulence-associated genes in 12 LMICs is highlighted in this study. Asian region was identified as the major hotspot for convergent strains, especially being confined to 3 countries (India, Pakistan and Vietnam), further exacerbating the situation. This represents a major challenge to disease treatment and public health management in the LMICs. Regular surveillance for emergence of convergence and necessary interventions in the high-risk regions are strongly recommended.
Rapid industrialization of the city of Coimbatore in the recent past has imposed stress on ground... more Rapid industrialization of the city of Coimbatore in the recent past has imposed stress on groundwater resources, resulting in quantity depletion and quality deterioration. The present study aimed at evaluating the groundwater quality of Coimbatore city, India. Qualitative analysis of 17 groundwater samples were made during the postmonsoon and pre-monsoon in 2015. As groundwater forms a dominant source for irrigation and domestic purposes, an evaluation of its suitability for these purposes were assessed. Classic geochemical methods have been coupled with geospatial approaches to arrive at the geochemical processes controlling the hydrochemistry of groundwater. The study reveals that the high concentration of Nickel and Total Dissolved Solids in the groundwater is caused due to the contamination from textile mill effluent, which is discharged into the Noyyal river and ultimately join the water table. The influence of this contamination is reflected in the geochemical processes, wherein the contaminated area exhibits different water type at different seasons; Ca-type water was converted to Na-type or mixed Na, Ca-type during the transition from post-monsoon to pre-monsoon. Majority of the samples are influenced by rock-water interaction and the dominance of the processes followed the order ion exchange > weathering > reverse ion exchange. The major driving force for ion exchange between Ca 2þ in rock and Na þ in water was the abundance of Na þ in the percolating water, which is contributed by textile effluent. Among the weathering process, carbonate weathering dominated silicate weathering due to the presence of limestone deposit and red calcareous soil. The quantification of saturation index suggests that carbonate minerals are super saturated in the groundwater in the following order: dolomite > calcite > aragonite, while other minerals including fluorite, halite and gypsum were unsaturated.
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