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Microbial Diversity of Ganga to be Studied
Why is it in news?
- Government has commissioned a study
(1) To assess microbial diversity in entire Ganga stretch.
(2) To test if the river contains microbes to that may promote antibiotic resistance.
More in news
- About the Project
(1) To be completed with 2 years.
(2) It will be undertaken by
(a) Scientists at the Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology, Allahabad;
(b) National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur
(c) Sardar Patel Institute of Science & Technology, Gorakhpur
(d) Phixgen and Xcelris Labs which are start-up’s.
(3) It will be the first study to examine the entire stretch of Ganga.
- Objective of the Study
(1) To indicate the type of contamination(sewage and industrial) in the river and there threat to human health (antibiotic resistance surge).
(2) Identifying sources of Eschericia coli.
- Earlier Studies
(1) In 2014, researchers from Newcastle University in the U.K. and IIT-Delhi (Concluded) - levels of resistance genes that lead to “superbugs” were about 60 times greater during the pilgrimage months of May and June than at other times of the year.
(2) A 2017 report commissioned by the Union Department of Biotechnology and the U.K. Research Council stated India had some of the highest antibiotic resistance rates among bacteria that commonly cause infections.
- About Eschericia coli
(1) It is a type of bacteria living inside the gut of animals and humans.
(2) While largely they are harmless but in some cases they linked to intestinal disease as well as aggravating antibiotic resistance.
Source
The Hindu