(MENAFN- Live Mint)

New Delhi: India's top medical research agency is looking at ways to combat a silent but grave health crisis that kills over a million citizens every year, according to a World Health Organization report referencing 2019 data.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is designing a new priority pathogen testing framework to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to a scientist familiar with the plan and documents reviewed by Mint.

AMR, which happens when microbes such as bacteria and viruses, among others, develop resistance to antibiotics and other powerful drugs. It is counted as a major public health crisis in India due to the high number of associated deaths.

ICMR's framework aims to standardise how hospitals and laboratories across India detect and diagnose infections, and is being created through extensive consultations with doctors, scientists and public health experts, according to the scientist.

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The first step has been to create a list of priority pathogens across four categories that need immediate attention.

“The priority pathogen lists were developed over a series of 44 meetings, consulting eminent clinicians, laboratory experts, and epidemiologists from across the country," said the government scientist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.“Working groups reviewed literature and drew on individual experiences to draft syndrome-wise lists based on factors like prevalence, outbreak potential, and the availability of diagnostics."

The timeline and implementation mechanism of the plan across hospitals and laboratories are still in the discussion stage, according to the scientist.

Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered till press time.

Why such a framework is needed

ICMR's initiative seeks to plug long-standing diagnostic gaps and help doctors make faster, evidence-based diagnoses, reduce irrational antibiotic use, and guide domestic manufacturers toward India-specific, cost-effective diagnostics.

“The initiative addresses the fragmented state of infectious disease diagnostics in India," the scientist cited above said, while pointing out that testing algorithms of laboratories are varied currently, specific to particular institutes or regions, and often focus on testing for individual diseases sequentially.

“This inconsistency means that pathogen testing in clinical microbiology laboratories often differs based on the requirements and resources available at each institution," the scientist added.“Consequently, laboratories frequently miss common or critical pathogens."

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Identifying the right pathogen at the right time can completely change how an infection is treated, according to Dr Harsh Mahajan, founder and chairman at Delhi-NCR-based Mahajan Imaging & Labs and also chairman of industry body Ficci's health services committee. He added that when the diagnosis is quick and accurate, treatment becomes far more effective and patient recovery improves.

Lauding ICMR's move, Dr Mahajan said such a framework will help create uniform standards across the country and make reliable evidence-based diagnosis a routine part of healthcare rather than something limited to a few centres.

“It will also guide diagnostic providers and clinicians to work within a common structure, improving turnaround times treatment accuracy and public health surveillance," he added.“Over time, such a framework can help India build a stronger foundation for antimicrobial stewardship and make targeted treatment accessible to every level of care."

What exactly is the plan

According to ICMR's document titled 'Syndromic Surveillance Of Infectious Diseases: Priority Pathogens To Be Tested For In Indian Clinical Settings', the agency's playbook grades priority pathogens into four categories to guide diagnostic and surveillance efforts in India. Priority 1A lists commonly detected pathogens to be diagnosed before initiating treatment, such as plasmodium, dengue virus, salmonella typhi, etc.

Priority 1B covers other commonly-detected pathogens such as bacterial sepsis. Priority 2 encompasses less common pathogens found in clinical settings, such as borrelia burgdorferi. Finally, Priority 3 lists rare/exotic pathogens that are not typically detected in routine clinical settings and may only be found during specialized surveillance testing such as bacillus anthracis or yersinia pestis (for AUFI).

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Dr Manohar K.N., lead consultant at the department of internal medicine and infectious diseases at SPARSH Hospital, Bengaluru, called the plan“timely and transformative".

“India is the epicenter of this global health crisis due to its infectious disease burden and rampant antibiotic misuse and needs change," he said.“The plan, featuring a standardized, priority-based pathogen testing playbook, addresses the current fragmented diagnostic practices."

He stressed the importance of introducing syndrome-wise testing protocols to strengthen early detection and guide rational antibiotic use. This systemic shift from reactive treatment to proactive infection management will not only improve patient outcomes with faster, targeted treatment, but also curb the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the main driver of resistance.

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