Management implications of latent TB among under-five children at risk: Insights from a community study in Mumbai, India.

Background: Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) management is crucial to WHO's End TB Strategy. Indian guidelines recommend treating under-five children with household TB contacts after ruling out active TB, regardless of TBI testing. However, the precise LTBI burden among children in high TB burden settings like India is unknown.

Laboratory diagnosis and epidemiological features of leptospirosis cases in a tribal region of Western Maharashtra, India: A retrospective study.

Purpose: Palghar district, located in the coastal region of the Konkan division of Maharashtra, has a predominantly tribal population. Leptospirosis is a major neglected public health problem and is highly underreported in Palghar district. The study aimed to evaluate the seropositivity of Leptospira infection and its associated epidemiological factors in tribal areas of the Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Mapping the vaginal microbiota variations in women from a community clinic in Mumbai, India.

Purpose: The vaginal microbiome contributes significantly to women's reproductive health and fluctuates due to various physiological and pathological factors. The study's objective is to map the vaginal microbiome of non-pregnant women and evaluate variations based on various potential factors influencing vaginal milieu.

Methods: Fifty-two sexually active, non-pregnant women between 18 and 45 years were recruited from a community clinic and clinical history was recorded.

The dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations in Mumbai, India, between 28 December 2020 and 30 August 2021.

The emergence and evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants that could compromise vaccine efficacy (VE) with re-infections in immunized individuals have necessitated continuous surveillance of VE. Here, the occurrence and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the context of vaccination during the second wave of infection in Mumbai were evaluated. RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values of the open reading frame (ORF)/envelope (E)/nucleocapsid (N) genes obtained from a total of 42415 samples, comprising unvaccinated (96.

Cytomegalovirus reactivation in a SARS-CoV-2 infected woman experiencing fetal demise in the first trimester with fetal trisomy 21: A case report.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital viral infections. Women seropositive for CMV prior to pregnancy can develop a non-primary CMV infection. Here, we present a case of first trimester pregnancy loss during active SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Enablers & challenges of tribal women & health system for implementation of screening of non-communicable diseases & common cancers: A mixed-methods study in Palghar district of Maharashtra, India.

Background & Objectives: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and cancers of breast, oral cavity and cervix contribute to around 5.87 million (60%) deaths in India. Despite this, there is limited evidence on preparedness of the tribal health system in mitigating these conditions.

Evaluation of cytokine profile in cervicovaginal lavage specimens of women having asymptomatic reproductive tract infections.

Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) such as vaginal candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis (BV) are common among sexually active women and can be both symptomatic or asymptomatic. The microbiota of the reproductive tract triggers immune response at the cervicovaginal interface resulting in secretion of cytokines during the course of these RTIs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytokine profile in cervicovaginal lavage of women having asymptomatic vaginal infections.

Discordance between TST and QFT-TBGold Plus for Latent Tuberculosis Screening among Under-Five Children: An Interim Analysis.

Aim: To analyze the agreement between tuberculin skin test (TST) and fourth-generation QuantiFERON (QFT)-TB Gold Plus [interferon gamma (INF-γ) release assays (IGRA)] for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) diagnosis among under-five children who are undernourished and/or who have history of contact with active tuberculosis (TB) patients.

Methods: Children from the age group of 6 months to 5 years (undernourished or tuberculosis household contacts) were screened through anganwadis (government playschools) and TB Health posts from Mumbai, India during September 2019 to January 2021. Both TST and QFT-TB Gold Plus test were carried out to diagnose LTBI.

Cross sectional study to evaluate microbiological spectrum of RTI/STI and co-infections among women with cervicitis or cervico-vaginitis from a community clinic in Mumbai.

Cervicitis is an inflammatory condition of cervix, when presented along with vaginal discharge; it is termed as cervico-vaginitis. These can be infective, hence important to diagnose due to risk of spreading to upper genital tract. This cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the microbiological spectrum in cervicitis or cervico-vaginitis among 100 sexually active women by Gram stain and Multiplex Real time polymerase chain reaction.

A retrospective analysis of COVID-19 diagnosis results obtained by rapid antigen tests and RT-PCR: Implications for disease management.

There is a need for understanding and establishment of the most appropriate testing algorithm for COVID-19 diagnosis in asymptomatic high-risk groups. Here, we present a retrospective analysis of RT-PCR results obtained from 412 cases tested negative for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by rapid antigen testing method. Among 178 (43.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR test: factors influencing interpretation of results.

In this current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), prompt interventions in terms of early detection and clinical management along with isolation of positive cases is of utmost importance. This helps to limit not only the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections but also the morbidity and mortality associated with it. Different strategies for screening of COVID-19 in containment zones and non-containment areas include testing of symptomatic patients and their contacts in fever clinics, hospital-based testing, testing on demand and population-based screening.

Female genital tuberculosis in light of newer laboratory tests: A narrative review.

Unlabelled: Female genital tract tuberculosis (FGTB) is a chronic disease with varied presentation. The diagnosis of FGTB for early institution of treatment remains a clinical challenge. Its laboratory diagnosis is difficult because of paucibacillary nature of the condition and limitation of available diagnostic tests.

An update on prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and emerging issues of genital mycoplasma infection in Indian women: A narrative review.

Despite adequate treatment of reproductive tract infection, there is persistence of symptoms in some patients. This raises the possibility of existence of other silent microbes with pathogenic potential. Apart from the common sexually transmitted organisms such as Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, there are other silent and emerging pathogens, like genital mycoplasma, which have been associated with cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and pregnancy-related complications in women.