About This Project

In Sikkim, an Eastern Himalayan state, there is tremendous scarcity of potable drinking water, and people are solely dependent on spring water. From our preliminary study, it was found that most of the water sources are contaminated with antibiotic resistance pathogens including MDR strains. So, in this project we want to study the distribution of "Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs)" in different potable water sources of Sikkim.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Antibiotics are a magical wand of the 21st century used to cure several chronic ailments, but at the same time, they also become a major issue concerning the human health due to evolving antibiotic resistant strains. Increasing population size and misuse of antibiotic drugs due to wrong prescription or lack of awareness has created several multi-drug resistant strains. Selection of bacteria containing antibiotic resistance genes in an anthropogenically influenced environment can enlighten the mechanisms of ARG's flow from the human gut microbiome to different interacting environments or vice versa.

What is the significance of this project?

In a constant race between modern antibiotics and ever evolving antibiotic resistant bacteria, understanding the transmission of ARGs between different environmental niches and humans is essential for the preservation of antibiotic efficacy. The Himalayan range is a source of countless perennial rivers, paradoxically the mountain people depend largely on spring water for their sustenance (87% of the people are dependent on spring water). On average 80% of these springs serve as reservoirs for transfer of water borne pathogens.

In this investigation we will focus on the diversity of ARGs and their extent of movement from human to spring water and vice versa and will investigate the effect of ARGs on community.

What are the goals of the project?

Sample Collection

Water samples will be collected from spring water, trench water, community reservoir, surface water, and household water. Community reservoirs are the tanks that collect and supply spring water to different communities.

Surface is collected from glaciers by the Government of Sikkim and supplied to urban areas of Sikkim.

Along with different water sources, we will also collect fecal matter from communities.

Outcomes
Metagenomic DNA isolated from the above samples will be sequenced and analyzed to determine the diversity of ARG in spring water and community stool samples and to determine the transfer of ARGs in cross niche and subsequent health impact.