A hospital-based study to evaluate the incidence pattern of group A streptococcal throat infections from different age group patients.

Streptococcus pyogenes(group A) is a major pathogen capable of causing a wide range of diseases in different age group of people. In this study 100 patients were selected who presented with the complaint of sore throat. All the patients were divided in four age groups.

Multiplex PCR technique could be an alternative approach for early detection of leprosy among close contacts--a pilot study from India.

Background: Implementation of Multi drug Therapy (MDT) regimen has resulted in the decline of the total number of leprosy cases in the world. Though the prevalence rate has been declining, the incidence rate remains more or less constant and high in South East Asian countries particularly in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Srilanka. Leprosy, particularly that of multibacillary type spreads silently before it is clinically detected.

Development and application of a new efficient and sensitive multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in diagnosis of leprosy.

India contributes about 80% of the global leprosy case load including case of fresh infection and reinfection. Due to lack of gold standard, diagnosis is done mainly based on routine clinical signs and symptoms, smear and histopathological evidences. There is a lot of lacunae in early confirmatory diagnosis in terms of sensitivity and specificity, especially in paucibacillary tuberculoid type.