NIV finds C. jejuni in water samples of Pune’s Kirkatwadi area

Consumption of water and food contaminated with C. jejuni can cause bacterial infection and may trigger acute autoimmune sequelae including GBS, a rare neurological disorder

Experts at the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) on Wednesday confirmed bacterial contamination of Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) in water samples collected from the Kirkatwadi area.

Pune district has reported a GBS outbreak with the most number of cases being reported in areas along the Sinhagad Road such as Nanded Village, Kirkitwadi, Dhayari and DSK Vishwa. According to the state health department, around 70 per cent of the cases have been reported from these areas. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

This is the first time the presence of C. jejuni has been confirmed in water samples even as the bacteria was noticed previously in stools of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) patients.

As per the senior officials from the public health department, the tap water samples were taken from a housing society located in Kirkatwadi.

A senior official requesting anonymity said that this confirms that C. jejuni is the reason behind the GBS outbreak in these areas. “The reports were cross-verified with the ICMR-NIV scientist. It has been found that the society receives water from tankers. The water tanker lifts water from a well located in Kolhewadi,” said the official.

Consumption of water and food contaminated with C. jejuni can cause bacterial infection and may trigger acute autoimmune sequelae including GBS, a rare neurological disorder.

Pune district has reported a GBS outbreak with the most number of cases being reported in areas along the Sinhagad Road such as Nanded Village, Kirkitwadi, Dhayari and DSK Vishwa. According to the state health department, around 70 per cent of the cases have been reported from these areas.

The NIV scientists to date have confirmed the presence of C. jejuni in stool samples of 27 suspected and confirmed GBS patients undergoing treatment in city hospitals.

“C. jejuni was found during the conventional PCR test,” said Dr Babita Kamlapurkar, joint director of health services.

Dr Kamlapurkar, said, “We have sent 173 water samples from different parts of the city for chemical and biological analysis to the public health laboratory, samples from 33 water sources found contaminated. Also, 63 serum samples have been sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMANS), Bangalore for anti-ganglioside antibody test.”

As per the public health officials on Wednesday, four fresh suspected GBS cases were reported taking the total number of cases reported to date to 170. To date, as many as 132 confirmed and 5 suspected deaths have been reported in the state. These cases include—33 patients are from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), 86 are from newly added villages in PMC area, 22 are from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, 21 are from Pune rural, and 8 are from other districts. Out of these patients, 62 have been discharged till now, 61 are in ICU and 20 are on ventilator support.