Incidence of secondary bacterial infections and risk factors for in-hospital mortality among coronavirus disease 2019 subjects admitted to secondary care hospital: A single-center cross-sectional retrospective study.

Background: This study aims to determine the prevalence of secondary bacterial infections (SBIs) in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) subjects and evaluate their antibiotic susceptibility. The study also sought to identify risk factors for the outcome of SBIs in COVID-19 subjects.

Methods: This single-center cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out at Sohar Hospital in Oman.

Learning out of the box: Fostering intellectual curiosity and learning skills among the medical students through gamification.

Background: Gamification involving application of elements of game play that provides unique opportunities to learners to sail through complex medical concepts is gaining importance in medical education. The current study was aimed at assessing the perception of medical students regarding checkerboard game in enhancing learning process.

Materials And Methods: The present prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the microbiology department.

Storm of a rare opportunistic life threatening mucormycosis among post COVID-19 patients: A tale of two pathogens.

Mucormycosis is a rare but life-threatening opportunistic fungal infection caused by a group of molds that belong to Zygomycetes of the order Mucorales. These fungi are found in the environment such as soil, decaying vegetation, and organic matters. Sporangiospores present in the environment enter the human body through inhalation or direct skin inoculation by trauma or ingestion and result in pulmonary, cutaneous, and gastrointestinal mucormycosis, respectively, in immunocompromised hosts.

Antibiotics at the crossroads - Do we have any therapeutic alternatives to control the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance?

Antibiotics once regarded as magic bullets are no more considered so. Overuse of antibiotics in humans, agriculture, and animal husbandry has resulted in the emergence of a wide range of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens which are difficult to treat. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health problem associated with high mortality in the era of modern medicine.

Diabetic foot infections: Profile and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates in a tertiary care hospital of Oman.

Background: In diabetic foot infections (DFIs), the diversity of microbial profile and ever-changing antibiotic-resistance patterns emphasize accurate characterization of microbial profile and antibiotic susceptibility pattern. The aim of the study was to investigate the pathogens associated with DFI and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary-care hospital, Oman.

Profile and antibiotic-resistance pattern of bacteria isolated from endotracheal secretions of mechanically ventilated patients at a tertiary care hospital.

Background: Critically ill patients on mechanical-ventilation are always at a higher risk of acquiring ventilator-associated respiratory infections. The current study was intended to determine the antibiotic-resistance pattern of bacteria recovered from the endotracheal (ET) specimens of ventilated patients.

Materials And Methods: This was a single-centered, retrospective study carried out in a 400-bed tertiary care hospital in Oman.