Diagnosis of Kyasanur forest disease by nested RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR and IgM capture ELISA.

Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a zoonotic viral disease caused by infection by a Flavivirus, a member of the family Flaviviridae. KFD is a public health concern in the Karnataka State in southern India. Available conventional diagnostic tests such as virus isolation and serological tests, such as haemagglutination inhibition and complement fixation tests are time consuming.

An outbreak of Chandipura virus encephalitis in the eastern districts of Gujarat state, India.

An outbreak of encephalitis with a case fatality rate of 78.3% was investigated among children in Gujarat State, India. Twenty-six cases were reported.

Cytokine levels in Chandipura virus associated encephalopathy in children.

An association of Chandipura (CHP) virus with an explosive outbreak of encephalitis in children from India affecting 349 children with 55% mortality was recently reported. To understand the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of CHP infection, 14 paediatric encephalitis cases admitted to a tertiary care hospital and 5 age-matched apparently healthy control children were studied. At the time of sampling, post onset of disease was < or =2 d (Group A, n = 4) and >2 d (Group B, n = 10).

Concurrent outbreak of leptospirosis and dengue in Mumbai, India, 2002.

This prospective study was undertaken to investigate the possibility of a concurrent outbreak of leptospirosis and dengue and to describe the clinical illnesses. From 20 June to 14 November 2002, children who presented to our hospital with a suspected diagnosis of leptospirosis or dengue were admitted. In every child with suspected leptospirosis, a screening latex agglutination test was carried out to detect anti-Leptospira antibodies.

A large outbreak of acute encephalitis with high fatality rate in children in Andhra Pradesh, India, in 2003, associated with Chandipura virus.

Background: An outbreak of acute encephalitis of unknown origin with high case fatality (183 of 329 cases) was reported in children from Andhra Pradesh state in southern India during 2003. We investigated the causative agent.

Methods: Cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocyte co-cultures were used to isolate the causative agent from clinical samples.

Guillain-Barre syndrome in a pediatric patient following infection due to Leptospira.

Leptospirosis is a disease with protean manifestations. We report a case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in a pediatric patient following infection with Leptospira. Infecting Leptospira presumably belonged to serovar Copenhageni.