Early- vs Late-onset Ventilator-associated Pneumonia in Critically Ill Adults: Comparison of Risk Factors, Outcome, and Microbial Profile.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent hospital-acquired infections, which develops in mechanically ventilated patients after 48 hours of mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence rate, various risk factors, microbiological profile, and outcome of early- vs late-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in medical intensive care unit (MICU).

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 273 patients admitted to the MICU in JIPMER, Puducherry, from October 2018 to September 2019.

Prevotella oris: A lesser known etiological agent of pleural effusion.

Prevotella are gram negative, obligate anaerobes and includes pigmented and non-pigmented species. They are typically regarded as commensals, especially of the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity, although opportunistic endogenous infections are known to be caused by a small number of strains. We report a case of a 51-year-old man with right-sided chest pain.

A Comparative Analysis of Microscopy, Coproantigen Serology, and Nested Multiplex PCR in the Laboratory Diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica Infection.

 Amoebiasis is caused by the most common intestinal protozoan parasite . This parasite causes amoebic colitis, which is manifested by diarrhea, followed by dysentery. The laboratory diagnosis of intestinal amoebiasis in most cases is by microscopic examination of stool samples.

Clinical profile and outcomes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C): Hospital-based prospective observational study from a tertiary care hospital in South India.

Aim: To study the clinical profile and outcomes in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

Methods: Children aged 1 month to 15 years presenting with MIS-C (May 2020 to November 2021) were enrolled. Clinical, laboratory, echocardiography parameters and outcomes were analysed.

Potential impact of SARS COV-2 infection on the performance of serological assays used to diagnose arboviral diseases.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 was first described in December 2019, in China. In addition, there has also been an increase in arboviral infections in recent years. As both infections have similar symptoms, misdiagnosis may occur if both outbreaks occur at the same time.

Pooled sample testing for COVID-19 diagnosis: Evaluation of bi-directional matrix pooling strategies.

In the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, pooled testing of samples by RT-PCR has been recommended at certain scenarios to increase labs' testing capacity and reduce cost of testing. This paper describes the evaluation of bi-directional matrix pooling strategies with clinical samples in a 5 × 5 and 10 × 10 matrix. Nasopharyngeal swab samples in viral transport medium (VTM) previously tested (positive or negative) by real time RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were used for these experiments.

Increasing Trend of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci Bacteremia in a Tertiary Care Hospital of South India: A Three-year Prospective Study.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are emerging as an important multidrug-resistant pathogen causing nosocomial infections, predominantly bacteremia and urinary tract infections. VRE bacteremia has caused a significant increase in the duration of the hospital stay and mortality and had caused high public health threat due to limited treatment options. Between October 2017 and September 2020, all consecutive patients with culture-proven bloodstream infection with species, isolated for the first time, were included in the study.

Epstein-Barr Virus: An Infrequent Pathogen of Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Illness From a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern India.

Context: Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) is characterized by a sudden onset of raised body temperature and is a common cause of hospital admission though not recognized as a disease state by the World Health Organization. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is reported to account for a significant occurrence of AUFI cases.

Aim: To know the role of EBV infection as a cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI).

Intestinal parasitic infections and its trends: a 5-year findings from a tertiary care centre, Puducherry, South India.

Intestinal parasitic infection (IPI) constitute a global health burden causing clinical morbidity in 450 million people. Many of these are women of reproductive age and children in developing countries. Mass deworming programmes with improvement in lifestyle are likely to reduce the intensity and prevalence of infection over the years.

Effect of combined colistin and meropenem against meropenem resistant and by checkerboard method: A cross sectional analytical study.

Background: Meropenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the two most common nosocomial pathogens causing ventilator-associated pneumonia. To combat this resistance, different combinations of antibiotics have been evaluated for their efficacy in laboratories as well as in clinical situations.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of combined colistin and meropenem against meropenem-resistant isolates of A.

Concordance between the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Surveillance Criteria and Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) Criteria for Diagnosis of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP).

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections among mechanically ventilated patients and the incidence rates are widely used as an index of quality of care given in an ICU. Since there is no gold standard method available to diagnose VAP, the incidence rate varies based on different criteria used for calculation. Therefore, we conducted a study to determine the concordance between the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance criteria and clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) criteria for the diagnosis of VAP.

In-vitro synergistic activity of colistin and meropenem against clinical isolates of carbapenem resistant E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae by checkerboard method.

Context: The emergence of drug resistant pathogens pose major threat to hospitalized patients as well as to the community associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The treatment of carbapenem resistant enterobacteriaceae, one of the top WHO priority pathogen remains a global issue. Combination therapy with different classes of antibiotics have been tried with the aim to reduce toxicity, to increase the efficacy of the drugs and to reduce resistance.

Pathogenic potential of revealed in a splenic abscess case: a truth unfolded.

Splenic abscess is a rare entity, however if unrecognised or left untreated, it is invariably fatal. We herein report a case of splenic abscess in a 40-year-old man presenting with fever, left-sided abdominal pain, altered sensorium and vomiting. On clinical examination, hepatosplenomegaly was noted and the ultrasound of the abdomen showed multiple hypoechoic regions in the upper pole of spleen, and the diagnosis of splenic abscess was made.