Indian law prevents scientists from sharing new microbes with the world

Klebsiella indica, isolated from the surface of tomatoes, is one of the few microbial species reported by Indian researchers this year. Photo Praveen Rahi, a microbiologist at india's National Cell Science Center
NCCS), spent three years identifying and describing a new species of nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in peas cultivated in the mountains of northern India. But even if it doesn't get preempted, it could take years for the new species to be validated and officially named.
syed Dastager, a microbiologist at India's National Chemical Laboratory, faces similar problems. He has discovered 30 new microbial species in the past few years, but the latter is lying in a laboratory freezer, unknown because he can't publish papers on them.
scientists are in trouble: india's strict biodiversity conservation laws on the one hand, and the International Commission on Primary Nuclear Biosyscology (ICSP) rules that validate newly discovered microorganisms on the other.
ICSP requires newly discovered bacterial species or any other microorganism to be stored in two cultures in two countries so that other researchers can obtain them free of charge. However, this requirement is inconsistent with a law adopted by India under the International Convention on Biological Diversity in 2002.
the latter suggests that non-Indian researchers who want to acquire germs from India, even those stored abroad, must obtain permission from India's National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
more and more cultures around the world have stopped receiving new strains from Indian researchers because of the long delays that this can cause.
's inability to store new bacteria in two cultures means that researchers missed an opportunity to publish an article in ICSP's official journal, the International Journal of Systems and Evolutionary Microbiology, which is a prerequisite for confirmation. "That's where we're at right now." Yogesh Shouche, a microbiologist at NCCS, said.
378 new microbial species were discovered in India between 2008 and 2019. Subsequently, the consequences of the bill passed in 2002 began to emerge. After peaking at more than 50 species in 2016, the number of new species reported began to decline rapidly, with only 10 new species reported so far this year.
Shouche said the best solution would be to amend a bill passed in 2002 that would allow the storage and use of bacterios for research purposes without NBA approval. In fact, most culture libraries have mechanisms to prevent bio plagiarism, but changing the law can take years.