ICMR 2024 Flags Severe Rise in Antibiotic Resistance Across India

ICMR Report Raises Alarming Red Flag Over Rising Antibiotic Resistance in India

India’s healthcare system is facing a deepening public-health crisis as resistance to commonly used antibiotics continues to surge. The ICMR Antimicrobial Resistance Research & Surveillance Network (AMRSN) 2024 report reveals that several routine treatments are failing against major hospital infections, signalling the shrinking effectiveness of frontline drugs.

Escalation in Resistant Bacterial Infections

The report analysed nearly 1,00,000 confirmed infection samples , showing Gram-negative pathogens dominating resistance patterns nationwide.
• E. coli , widely responsible for urinary and bloodstream infections, showed substantial loss of susceptibility to commonly prescribed antibiotics.
• Klebsiella pneumoniae displayed poor response to piperacillin-tazobactam and alarming levels of resistance to carbapenems—considered last-line therapy in critical care.

The trend indicates that widely available antibiotics are steadily losing effectiveness, narrowing treatment choices for clinicians.

Intensive Care Units Face Maximum Impact

Drug resistance is highest in ICU settings where infections are often life-threatening.
• Acinetobacter baumannii exhibits 91% resistance to meropenem , forcing doctors to rely on toxic or limited-scope alternatives.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa continues to demonstrate increasing multi-drug resistance, complicating ventilator-associated pneumonia treatment.

Across hospitals, 72% of bloodstream infections were caused by multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative organisms.

Worrying Trends in Enteric and Fungal Pathogens

• Over 95% Salmonella typhi samples tested were resistant to fluoroquinolones, undermining first-line therapy for typhoid.
• Emerging fungal threats add complexity— Candida auris showed resistance in nearly 10% of isolates , while several Aspergillus strains resisted amphotericin-B.

Minor improvements in sensitivity of select E. coli strains offer limited optimism when compared to nationwide deterioration in antimicrobial response.

Exam-Ready Facts

• Nearly 1 lakh samples analysed under ICMR AMRSN 2024

• 72% bloodstream infections linked to resistant Gram-negative bacteria

• 91% meropenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii in ICUs

• >95% Salmonella typhi resistant to fluoroquinolones