Spread of carbapenemase NDM-1 producers: The situation in India and what may be proposed

New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) producers, first identified from patients hospitalized in India, are now reported worldwide. The Indian subcontinent is clearly a main reservoir of NDM-1 producers. In order to slow down the spread of these NDM-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae, first in India and then worldwide, a series of measures must be implemented as soon as possible. These include discouraging the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics, improving basic and extended knowledge on hygiene, and the wide-scale detection of bla NDM-1, in both infecting agents and in the carrier state for at-risk patients.