Health and Me

Ishita Srivastava

Thar Desert Bacteria Is Infecting People in Himalayas, Study Finds

Bacteria from the <span>Thar</span> desert is being transported by wind to the Eastern <span>Himalayas</span> and causing respiratory and skin diseases in locals, according to a Science of the Total Environment study.

Researchers from <span>Bose Institute</span> found that powerful dust storms filled with disease-causing bacteria can travel hundreds of kilometers, crossing densely populated and polluted Indo-Gangetic Plain before finally settling over Himalayan hilltops, where they are affecting local populations and ecosystems.

The scientists noted: "In addition to respiratory and skin diseases due to the transported pathogens, vertical uplift injects locally sourced pathogens into high-altitude atmosphere, where they mix with long-range travellers arriving from afar. Together, they reshape the bacterial community floating above the Himalayas, contributing to gastrointestinal infections as well."

<h2>Why Is This A Concern?</h2>The Himalayan hill-top atmosphere is widely considered beneficial for human health. However, after analyzing air samples for two years, the scientists found a clear link between desert-origin dust and bacterial shifts in the Himalayan atmosphere. 

These changes were driven by horizontal wind patterns that carry particles across vast distances, combined with rising air pollution from lower elevations.

Riddled with <span>airborne bacteria</span>, including pathogens that can affect overall physical health, this air can increase vulnerability in people living in colder regions, who are already at a high risk of developing conditions related to the weather such as hypoxia (a condition where tissues don't get enough oxygen, often causing confusion, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath and bluish skin) 

“About 80 percent of the total Himalayan bacterial population is due to long-range transport via horizontal and vertical movement of atmosphere, causing about 60 percent perturbation in Himalayan bacterial diversity,” the researchers said.

Cold weather and excessive exposure to airborne bacteria also increases disease risks by weakening immune responses, causing blood vessels to constrict and promoting close indoor confinement, which accelerates the spread of bacteria and viruses. 

Some common conditions include respiratory infections (pneumonia, bronchitis), cardiovascular strain (heart attacks, strokes) and bacterial infections like <span>Strep throat</span>.

<strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/ai-detects-more-breast-cancer-cases-in-landmark-swedish-study-article-153544092" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">AI Detects More Breast Cancer Cases in Landmark Swedish Study</a>

<h2>Antibiotic Resistance: An Rising Threat </h2>This comes days after experts warned that one child in India dies every nine minutes from an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as it becomes one of the top 10 global public health threats. 

Dr HB Veena Kumari of the Department of Neuromicrobiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, claims: "The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly contributed to rising antimicrobial resistance. The <span>World Health Organisation</span> projects that 10 million deaths will occur annually by 2025."

According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria in the body learns to withstand and remain unaffected by the medicines (antibiotics) meant to kill them.

In such cases, doctors have to switch to different antibiotics, but these backup medicines might not work as well or might cause more side effects. Additionally, infections may also worsen over time as bacteria can become resistant to all available drugs.

Alarmingly is that these tough, drug-resistant bacteria can spread from one person to another, both in hospitals and at home.

According to Dr TS Balganesh, Gangagen Biotechnologies, nearly 36 percent of haemodialysis patients die from fatal infections, which is second only to cardiovascular diseases as a cause of death.

He tells Deccan Herald: "The risk for infective endocarditis in haemodialysis patients is approximately 18 times higher than in the general population and up to 58 percent of these episodes are caused by a bacteria named 'S aureus', with an in-hospital mortality of more than 50 percent."

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Bacteria from the Thar desert is being transported by wind to the Eastern Himalayas and causing respiratory and skin diseases in locals, according to a Science of the Total Environment study.Researchers from Bose Institute found that powerful dust storms filled with disease-causing bacteria can travel hundreds of kilometers, crossing densely populated and polluted Indo-Gangetic Plain before finally settling over Himalayan hilltops, where they are affecting local populations and ecosystems.The scientists noted: "In addition to respiratory and skin diseases due to the transported pathogens, vertical uplift injects locally sourced pathogens into high-altitude atmosphere, where they mix with long-range travellers arriving from afar. Together, they reshape the bacterial community floating above the Himalayas, contributing to gastrointestinal infections as well."Why Is This A Concern?The Himalayan hill-top atmosphere is widely considered beneficial for human health. However, after analyzing air samples for two years, the scientists found a clear link between desert-origin dust and bacterial shifts in the Himalayan atmosphere. These changes were driven by horizontal wind patterns that carry particles across vast distances, combined with rising air pollution from lower elevations.Riddled with airborne bacteria, including pathogens that can affect overall physical health, this air can increase vulnerability in people living in colder regions, who are already at a high risk of developing conditions related to the weather such as hypoxia (a condition where tissues don't get enough oxygen, often causing confusion, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath and bluish skin) “About 80 percent of the total Himalayan bacterial population is due to long-range transport via horizontal and vertical movement of atmosphere, causing about 60 percent perturbation in Himalayan bacterial diversity,” the researchers said.Cold weather and excessive exposure to airborne bacteria also increases disease risks by weakening immune responses, causing blood vessels to constrict and promoting close indoor confinement, which accelerates the spread of bacteria and viruses. Some common conditions include respiratory infections (pneumonia, bronchitis), cardiovascular strain (heart attacks, strokes) and bacterial infections like Strep throat.READ MORE: AI Detects More Breast Cancer Cases in Landmark Swedish Study Antibiotic Resistance: An Rising Threat This comes days after experts warned that one child in India dies every nine minutes from an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as it becomes one of the top 10 global public health threats. Dr HB Veena Kumari of the Department of Neuromicrobiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, claims: "The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly contributed to rising antimicrobial resistance. The World Health Organisation projects that 10 million deaths will occur annually by 2025."According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria in the body learns to withstand and remain unaffected by the medicines (antibiotics) meant to kill them.In such cases, doctors have to switch to different antibiotics, but these backup medicines might not work as well or might cause more side effects. Additionally, infections may also worsen over time as bacteria can become resistant to all available drugs.Alarmingly is that these tough, drug-resistant bacteria can spread from one person to another, both in hospitals and at home.According to Dr TS Balganesh, Gangagen Biotechnologies, nearly 36 percent of haemodialysis patients die from fatal infections, which is second only to cardiovascular diseases as a cause of death.He tells Deccan Herald: "The risk for infective endocarditis in haemodialysis patients is approximately 18 times higher than in the general population and up to 58 percent of these episodes are caused by a bacteria named 'S aureus', with an in-hospital mortality of more than 50 percent."