‘Environmental surveillance key to early AMR detection’

Nagpur: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is emerging as one of the most significant global public health challenges, and environmental surveillance is increasingly being recognised as a critical tool to track resistant pathogens and detect emerging health threats. Rakesh Mishra, director, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bengaluru, and former director, CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, highlighted this while speaking on ‘Environmental Surveillance and One Health' on Friday. Mishra was speaking as the chief guest at World Environment Day celebrations held at CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-Neeri). He explained that metagenomics, which analyses genetic material present in environmental samples such as wastewater, air and soil, has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring pathogens, AMR and ecosystem health. Referring to wastewater surveillance during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mishra noted that environmental monitoring helped detect infection trends and viral variants at an early stage, enabling timely public health interventions. He called for stronger collaboration among scientific institutions, govt agencies and communities to build resilient surveillance systems for a healthier and more sustainable future. Mishra also pointed to national initiatives such as the Alliance for Pathogen Surveillance Innovations (APSI) and National One Health Mission aimed at strengthening surveillance systems and preparedness. S Venkata Mohan, director, CSIR-Neeri, reaffirmed the institute's commitment to delivering sustainable environmental solutions for society.A memorandum of understanding was signed between Neeri and TIGS to strengthen collaborative research and innovation. Two white papers, ‘Industrial Ecology in the Indian Context' and ‘Environmental Health Risk Atlas and Action Framework for the Vidarbha Region', were released. The book ‘Fungal diversity in CSIR-Neeri' was also unveiled. Students who participated in ‘Student Research & Innovation Expo' were presented certificates of excellence.