Sociodemographic profile of patients attending the integrated counseling and testing center at a government super-specialty hospital in Central India.

Context: The HIV epidemic continues to be a matter of concern worldwide. Integrated counseling and testing center (ICTC) is an opening wedge for HIV diagnosis and support services, especially to the high-risk groups. Counseling and testing is a cost-effective and simple way of reducing HIV transmission.

Public health relevance of non-tuberculous mycobacteria among AFB positive sputa.

Background: Sputum smear microscopy for acid fast bacilli (AFB) is used by most public health programmes to detect tuberculosis. While most AFB in countries endemic for tuberculosis are (MTB), some may also be non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The inability to differentiate NTM from MTB by sputum smear microscopy may lead to erroneous diagnoses of tuberculosis, leading in turn to inappropriate therapy.

Long-term outbreak of & third generation cephalosporin use in a neonatal intensive care unit in north India.

Background & Objectives: The indiscriminate use of third generation cephalosporin has contributed to the emergence and widespread dissemination of extended spectrum β lactamases (ESBL) genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. This study was undertaken to elaborate the genetic behaviour of ESBL - producing K. pneumoniae isolates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary care hospital in north India causing successive outbreaks in context with empirical third generation cephalosporin use.

Emergence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors among the unusual species of enterococci, from North India.

Background: Several enterococcal species are increasingly being reported from clinical infections, besides the major species.

Aim: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of unusual enterococcal species and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, virulence factors, and molecular characterization.

Study Design And Settings: The study was conducted in Department of Microbiology and associated Tertiary Care University Hospital in North India.