Study Finds 83% of Indian Patients Carry Drug‑Resistant ‘Superbugs’

Untreatable Bacteria Found in People Going for a Routine Medical Test

November 19, 2025

A new international study reveals that antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is the ability of bacteria and other microbes to resist the effects of medicines that once killed them, is now one of the most pressing threats to public health worldwide, and this new study places India at the heart of that emergency.

Published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal, says infections that were once easily treatable with antibiotics are becoming much harder, and sometimes impossible, to cure, as reported by Business Standard.

The study looked specifically at patients undergoing a medical procedure called ERCP, which stands for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography. This is a common test used to diagnose and treat problems in the bile ducts and pancreas.

Researchers conducted screenings in four countries, India, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States, to check how many patients were carrying multidrug-resistant organisms, or MDROs. These are bacteria that have developed resistance to several types of antibiotics. Because they are extremely hard to treat, they are often referred to as “superbugs.” The term “superbug” does not mean the bacteria are more aggressive or cause worse disease by themselves, but that they have become nearly untreatable due to resistance to multiple drugs.

The researchers found that in India, more than 83 percent of patients undergoing this routine procedure were found to be carrying at least one type of superbug. This is far higher than in the other countries. Italy had a prevalence rate of just over 31 percent, the United States around 20 percent, and the Netherlands a little under 11 percent.

The study showed that over 70 percent of Indian patients carried bacteria that produce enzymes called extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). These enzymes break down many widely used antibiotics, rendering them useless. More worryingly, nearly a quarter of Indian patients were carrying bacteria resistant to carbapenems. These are among the most powerful antibiotics available and are often used only as a last resort.

In comparison, carbapenem-resistant bacteria were very rare in the U.S. and almost entirely absent in the Netherlands. Some Indian patients were also found to be carrying more than one type of highly resistant bacteria, which further limits treatment options.

The findings point to several underlying problems.

Experts believe that the high prevalence of superbugs in India is linked to long-standing issues such as the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. In many parts of the country, antibiotics are sold over the counter without prescriptions, and they are often used when they are not needed or taken incorrectly. Hospitals and clinics may also lack consistent infection-control systems, making it easier for resistant bacteria to spread from one patient to another.

The study also identified some personal risk factors that were associated with a higher chance of carrying MDROs. People with chronic lung disease or heart failure, those who had recently taken penicillin, and those with a history of repeated hospital visits or medical procedures were all more likely to carry superbugs.

However, the researchers were clear that these individual health issues alone do not account for the vast difference between India and other countries. This points to a more systemic problem within India’s healthcare environment and the way antibiotics are used and regulated.

Given the seriousness of the findings, the researchers have called for urgent action tailored to each country’s unique situation. They argue that infection-control strategies should not be one-size-fits-all, because what works in Europe or the U.S. may not be effective in India.

In the Indian context, several measures are seen as especially important. These include using antibiotics more carefully, making sure that prescription-only drugs are not sold freely without proper medical advice, and carrying out routine preprocedural screening for superbugs in patients. In high-risk cases, hospitals might even consider using single-use instruments to prevent infections from spreading.

Public health experts are warning that without strong and immediate action, the rise in AMR could undo decades of progress in modern medicine. This would affect not only people with infections but also patients undergoing common procedures like surgeries, chemotherapy or dialysis, which all rely on effective antibiotics to prevent or treat infections.

If superbugs continue to spread, even routine hospital care could become dangerous.

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