Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Indian Study Links Antibiotic Resistance to Higher Death Risks
Some bacteria are learning how to survive antibiotics.
This problem is called antimicrobial resistance.
A large Indian study looked at infections in more than 26,000 patients.
It found that resistance to powerful antibiotics called carbapenems increased the chance of death.
Resistant infections could also cost more and require longer hospital stays.
Babies and seriously ill children may become very sick quickly and have fewer treatment choices.
Antibiotics do not help most viral colds and should not be taken just in case.
Doctors should choose the right medicine, dose, and treatment length, using tests when possible.
Using antibiotics carefully can help keep them effective for the future.
Researchers examined 26,213 Gram-negative infections among 159,336 hospitalized patients at 20 Indian tertiary-care hospitals.
Carbapenem resistance was associated with a 16% to 43% higher death risk, depending on the organism.
Mortality for bloodstream infections involving resistant non-fermenting bacteria reached approximately 46% to 51%.
Resistant infections were linked to treatment costs up to twice as high and longer hospital stays.
Experts urged precise prescribing, diagnostic testing, infection control, and avoidance of unnecessary or incomplete antibiotic courses.
- Who
- Researchers studied patients with Gram-negative bacterial infections, while Dr. Aparna Chakravarty provided expert commentary.
- What
- The study found that carbapenem-resistant infections were associated with higher death risks, treatment costs, and hospital stays.
- When
- The article does not specify when the study was conducted or published.
- Where
- Across 20 tertiary-care hospitals in India.
- Why
- Resistance allows bacteria to survive important antibiotics, making infections harder and more expensive to treat.
- Patients studied
- 26,213 patients with Gram-negative bacterial infections
- Total hospitalized patients
- 159,336
- Hospitals
- 20 tertiary-care hospitals in India
- Death-risk increase
- 16% to 43% for carbapenem-resistant infections, depending on the organism
- Highest reported mortality
- Approximately 46% to 51% for bloodstream infections caused by resistant non-fermenting bacteria
- Treatment costs
- 1.1 to 2 times higher for resistant infections
- Hospital stay comparison
- Median 23 days for resistant infections versus 12 days in earlier Indian data