PhD candidate Basudah Shrestha gave an excellent presentation of her initial findings at a symposium celebrating the IOM, TU  collaboration with NCGM, Tokyo, Japan on Dec 5^th 2014 at the Institute of Medicine, KMD.

250 multi-drug resistant E. coli isolates were characterized. The isolates were predominantly from urine specimens and were collected at Kathmandu Model Hospital from December 2013 to September 2014.  Phenotypic aminoglycoside and TGC resistance (ESBL) was common and 39 isolates were carbapenem-resistant. 82% of these 39 had one of 6 different NDM variants present, including a new variant, NDM-12, that was characterized in detail.  Ref: Tada T. et. al,. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2014; 58(10): 6302-6305.

This is an important study, highlighting very concerning levels of multi-drug resistance in E. coli in KMD that will only be addressed through concerted collective action to reduce and rationalise antibiotic use and improve/implement effective infection control in hospitals and community.