First study on detection of cryptic resistance to linezolid among clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from India.

Purpose: Linezolid is an oral antibiotic which is widely used for serious infections caused by Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). With emergence of vancomycin MIC creep among clinical strains of MRSA, it is essential to know the possible emergence of subclinical resistance against linezolid as well. With this background, we aimed to detect evident (phenotypic) and cryptic (hidden or genotypic) linezolid resistance among MRSA isolates.

Development, optimization, standardization, and validation of a simple in-house agar gradient method to determine minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin for .

Background: The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommends reporting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of vancomycin for . Commercial MIC strips are expensive, and the traditional broth microdilution method is cumbersome. With this background, we attempted to develop and standardize an in-house agar gradient method to determine MIC values of vancomycin for .

Revisiting the Utility of Histopathological Examination of Biopsy: A Necessity in Microbiology.

Introduction: Culture is the gold standard, while potassium hydroxide mount is simplest technique used for diagnosis of fungal pathogens. Histopathological examination is the only definitive means to identify certain uncultivable fungi.

Aim: To analyse role of histopathological examination and potassium hydroxide (KOH) mount for diagnosing fungal infections by correlating them with culture.

Safety and immunogenicity of Bio Pox™, a live varicella vaccine (Oka strain) in Indian children: A comparative multicentric, randomized phase II/III clinical trial.

Varicella or chickenpox is a highly contagious disease with a high secondary attack rate. Almost 30% of Indian adolescents lack protective antibodies against varicella, emphasizing the need of routine varicella immunization. The Oka VZV is a well-established, safe and efficacious vaccine strain that is highly immunogenic and produces lifelong protective immunity.

Disseminated tuberculosis in a newborn infant.

Tuberculosis (TB) remaining as one of the deadliest communicable diseases. Congenital infection by vertical transmission is rare but high neonatal mortality (up to 60%) and morbidity warrant early and accurate diagnosis of newborns suffering from TB. Intrauterine infection of tuberculosis is most commonly caused by haematogenous spread from the mother causing placental seedling.

Changing trends in antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates in a burn unit.

Introduction: Emerging antimicrobial resistance in nosocomial bacterial isolates, limits the available treatment options for burn wound infections, among them multi-drug resistant Gram negative bacteria and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are major contributors to the increase in morbidity and mortality rates.

Material And Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Microbiology, University College of Medical Sciences & Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi. A total of 818 wound samples from patients admitted in the burn wards and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) examined between 2010-2014 (5 years period).

Anti-cysticercus antibody detection in saliva as a potential diagnostic tool for neurocysticercosis.

Objectives: This study was planned to determine the usefulness of anti-cysticercus IgG antibody detection in saliva for neurocysticercosis (NCC) diagnosis, along with serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level to serve as a surrogate marker.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study of 14 months duration, blood and saliva samples were collected from 40 patients suspected to be suffering from NCC and were subjected to anti-cysticercus IgG antibody detection by ELISA. Serum CRP levels were estimated as acute-phase reactant by high sensitivity CRP ELISA.

Application of a stool antigen test to evaluate the burden of Helicobacter pylori infection in dyspepsia patients.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) is causally associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma. Determination of the prevalence of HP infection in dyspepsia patients' in particular geographical area is imperative for the appropriate management of dyspepsia. HP antigen detection in stool is a noninvasive diagnostic test of HP infection.

Gender differences in outcomes of low birth weight and preterm neonates: the male disadvantage.

Various studies conducted worldwide have shown that male neonates have higher rates of mortality and morbidity in the perinatal period compared with females. However, there has been only one study from India on this subject. Therefore, this study was conducted to establish the difference in mortality between males and females among neonates born with two established risk factors of septicaemia--low birth weight (<2.