In the Water

NDM-1, a gene that confers antibiotic resistance in bacteria, is in the water supply of New Delhi, reports The Guardian. Using PCR and sequencing, Cardiff University researchers found the gene in 51 of the 171 samples of seepage and two of the 50 drinking water samples from New Delhi, but not in the wastewater or drinking water samples from Cardiff, as they report in The Lancet Infectious Disease. The bacteria found with the resistance gene include those that cause dysentery and cholera. "There are now superbugs that do not respond to any drug. Given the growth of travel and trade in Europe and across the world, people should be aware that until all countries tackle this, no country alone can be safe," says Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, in The Guardian.