Ochrobactrum intermedium septicemia

Ochrobactrum species are emerging Gram-negative, non-fermenting bacteria with low virulence. Infection with the Ochrobactrum species is commonly nosocomial and has been reported in patients with indwelling medical devices and implants. Among the species of Ochrobactrum infecting humans, Ochrobactrum anthropic and Ochrobactrum intermedium are the commonest ones. We present a case of septicemia caused by Ochrobactrum intermedium in a 75-year-old patient with lower limb cellulitis. This report describes the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnosis, antibiotic susceptibility pattern, and treatment of Ochrobactrum infections.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards COVID-19 Vaccination among Medical Students in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Southern India

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccination plays an important role in controlling the current pandemic. This may have an impact on other healthcare workers in understanding the importance of COVID-19 vaccination. Aim: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) towards COVID-19 vaccination among medical students in a Tertiary care hospital, Southern India. Materials and Methods: This was an observational crosssectional questionnaire based study done in Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India. The study period was from April 2021 to September 2021. The study evaluated KAP on COVID-19 vaccination amongst medical students. After the content validity of the questionnaire, a google form was created and circulated among the I, II, III, IV-year students and interns, which was assessed by a scoring system for KAP. The results of the qualitative variables were tabulated as frequency and percentages. The statistical analysis was done using JASP software and the correlation between KAP was calculated using Spearman’s Correlation. Results: A total of 400 participants were included in the study. Their mean±SD age was 20.3±1.3 years. The second- and third-year students actively participated in the study. Adequate knowledge was observed in 33% of the medical students, moderately adequate knowledge in 61% and minimum knowledge in 6%. Spearman’s correlation between KAP showed a significant p-value. Conclusion: The majority of the medical students opined that their main source of information was social media. This indicates that social media campaigns had helped them gain adequate knowledge about vaccination. This knowledge might help them encourage their relatives and friends to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which will in turn help in breaking the chain of this pandemic.

Balamuthia mandrillaris: An opportunistic, free-living ameba - An updated review

Balamuthia mandrillaris is an opportunistic, free-living ameba that is pathogenic to humans. It has a worldwide distribution but is mainly detected in warmer regions. Balamuthia infections are rare but have been reported in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals of all ages. B. mandrillaris can enter through wounds on the skin or the nose and cause cutaneous lesions and the usually fatal Balamuthia amebic encephalitis (BAE). Infection usually spreads from the lungs or through nerve fibers, and attacks the central nervous system, forming granulomatous lesions and necrosis in the brain. Balamuthia infection is usually chronic, and patients initially present with nonspecific symptoms, including headache, nausea, myalgia, and low-grade fever. As the disease progresses, the patient becomes paralyzed and comatose, often leading to death. Lack of knowledge of predisposing factors, specific treatment, and standardized detection tools have resulted in a nearly cent percent fatality rate. Although only about 200 cases have been reported worldwide since its characterization in the 1990s, the number of reported cases has increased over the years. BAE is an emerging disease and a major health concern. Few patients have survived Balamuthia infections with antimicrobial treatment that has largely been empirical. Early diagnosis is the key and requires familiarity with the disease and a high degree of suspicion on the part of the diagnostician. There are currently no specific treatment and prevention recommendations. This review highlights our current understanding of B. mandrillaris in terms of its pathogenicity, genomics, and novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches against BAE infections.

Assessment of the routinely used surface disinfectants in hospital care settings by using different quantitative methods

Introduction and Aim: Disinfectants play a vital role in the prevention of nosocomial infections. A variety of disinfectants with different mechanism of action are available in the market. Most of the hospitals and health care centres select the disinfectants trusting the claims made by the manufacturers which may not be authentic.   Materials and Methods: Plenty of standardised in-house disinfection testing methods are available but because of their complex procedure most of them are not feasible. Thus, in our study we employed a simple “quantitative suspension method” for testing the efficiency of the disinfectants. Commercially available disinfectants- Srivlon, Emplura, Hospal-OT, and NICE were tested against three nosocomial pathogens - Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MRSA, and Candida albicans.   Results: In this study, the commercial disinfectants wereacted effectively against all the three organisms. Hospal-OT had the maximum bactericidal activity followed bySrivlondisinfectant.   Conclusion: Our study concluded that all the four commercial disinfectants were acted against the pathogens viz., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MRSA and Candida albicans. Among four disinfectants, Srivlon needs a regular monitoring because of poor performance. Therefore, the proper usage of concentration and contact period of disinfectant will provide an efficient action against the pathogenic microbial population.

Pondicherry declaration on the identification and detection of Entamoeba histolytica

Stake holders meet on “Identification and Detection of Entamoeba histolytica” was conducted on July 21, 2019 at Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be-University, Pondicherry. This programme was of national importance, since the amoebiasis is being increasingly reported from different parts of India because of poor socioeconomic conditions and sanitation levels. Experts in amoebiasis research across India attended this meeting. This meeting was conducted with an objective to frame the guidelines on the identification and detection of E. histolytica with reference to conventional diagnostic methods and molecular diagnosis targeting appropriate genes of E. histolytica. The recommendations of the panel were released as declaration on the diagnosis of amoebiasis and were circulated to various administrative and scientific bodies in India as reference policy document on the diagnosis of amoebiasis.

Novel strain of Shigella dysenteriae serotype 7 from India

We describe a strain of Shigella dysenteriae serotype 7 which had novel biochemical and genetic characters. Unlike other S. dysenteriae, it produced gas, fermented mannitol, was a late-lactose fermenter and harboured the set 1A and set 1B genes. The significance of such atypical strains is that they are difficult to identify. If such strains are missed, they could prove to be a serious public health problem because the infectious dose is very low and they may harbour integrons contributing to drug resistance.