Pyrazinamide resistance due to pncA gene mutation and its association with treatment outcome among tuberculosis patients of South India- A longitudinal observational study.

Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been extensively studied for mutations leading to drug resistance. Pyrazinamide is a drug acting on the semi-dormant bacteria that is responsible for relapse of tuberculosis. This drug helped reduce the treatment duration of tuberculosis from nine to six months.

The prevalence of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in forensic autopsies in a teaching hospital in South India.

Introduction: An autopsy is a valuable tool for finding the cause of death, exploring the clinical diagnosis, documenting unexpected findings, and resolving diagnostic questions. However, this may subject the forensic pathologist and other workers to a wide variety of blood-borne and aerosolized pathogens. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of illness and death, resulting in infection transmission in the autopsy room.

Anaemia of chronic disease among pulmonary tuberculosis patients is associated with inflammatory marker at the start of intensive phase.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) disrupts iron balance through systemic inflammation. Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is linked to diverse anaemia types, necessitating intricate haematological and biochemical assessments for diagnosis. This study aims to describe the prevalence of anaemia of chronic disease (ACD), iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among PTB patients and factors associated with these types of anaemia.

Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of strains isolated from tuberculous meningitis patients.

Background: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is caused by the dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) from the primary site of infection to the central nervous system. However, the bacterial factors associated with the pathogenesis of TBM remain unclear. This study employed transcriptomic and proteomic methods to comprehensively analyze the changes in genes and proteins and their associated pathways in MTB strains isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of TBM and sputum of pulmonary TB (PTB) cases.

Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for Detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in Tissue Specimens from Patients with Leprosy.

In leprosy, early diagnosis is crucial to prevent transmission and onset of disabilities of the disease. The purpose of this study was to determine usefulness of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in clinically diagnosed cases of leprosy. Thirty-two leprosy cases were included.

Active Case Finding for Tuberculosis among Health Care Workers in a Teaching Hospital, Puducherry, India.

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease due to occupational exposure. But there are no national guidelines on routine screening for TB (active case finding (ACF)) among HCWs and understand its implementation and feasibility.

Methods: This study was conducted among HCWs in a teaching hospital in India.

Diagnostic performance of real time PCR for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cerebrospinal fluid samples.

Purpose: We aimed this study to standardize real time - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and compare its diagnostic performance with GeneXpert (Xpert), Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) and Multiplex PCR (MPCR) for tuberculous meningitis (TBM).

Methodology: A total of 217 CSF samples were obtained from patients with suspected TBM during the study period between January 2019 and December 2021. The optimal cycle threshold (CT) of RT-PCR was determined by comparing different gene targets of Mtb (IS6110, 16SrRNA, HSP65 and Ag85B).

Corrigendum: Malnutrition leads to increased inflammation and expression of tuberculosis risk signatures in recently exposed household contacts of pulmonary tuberculosis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.

Malnutrition leads to increased inflammation and expression of tuberculosis risk signatures in recently exposed household contacts of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: Most individuals exposed to (Mtb) develop latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and remain at risk for progressing to active tuberculosis disease (TB). Malnutrition is an important risk factor driving progression from LTBI to TB. However, the performance of blood-based TB risk signatures in malnourished individuals with LTBI remains unexplored.

Development of prognostic scoring system for predicting 1-year mortality among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in South India.

Background: Development of a prediction model using baseline characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) patients at the time of diagnosis will aid us in early identification of the high-risk groups and devise pertinent strategies accordingly. Hence, we did this study to develop a prognostic-scoring model for predicting the death among newly diagnosed drug sensitive pulmonary TB patients in South India.

Methods: We undertook a longitudinal analysis of cohort data under the Regional Prospective Observational Research for Tuberculosis India consortium.

Evaluation of Host Protein Biomarkers by ELISA From Whole Lysed Peripheral Blood for Development of Diagnostic Tests for Active Tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health crisis and the number one cause of death for an infectious disease. The health consequences in high-burden countries are significant. Barriers to TB control and eradication are in part caused by difficulties in diagnosis.

Effect of Neutralization of Gastric Aspirate on culture yield of mycobacterium tuberculosis in children with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Introduction: Conventionally gastric aspirates are neutralized with sodium bicarbonate to improve the culture yield of MTB. However, only limited data is there to support this practice. The aim of this study was to compare the contamination rate, culture yield and time to detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in neutralized and non-neutralized gastric aspirate samples and report the drug resistance.

Pulmonary cryptosporidiosis in a case of adenocarcinoma of stomach: A rare case report.

species are commonly known to cause chronic intractable diarrhea in patients suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, however extra-intestinal presentations have been rarely reported. Hereby, we report a rare case of isolated pulmonary cryptosporidiosis in a 75-year-old HIV-negative patient with metastatic carcinoma of the stomach who was managed conservatively with hemostatic radiotherapy for palliative care. The patient had presented with cough with expectoration for 2 months.

Evaluation of real time polymerase chain reaction targeting mpb64 gene for diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: Paucibacillary nature of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) has paved way for molecular methods increasingly being used for diagnosis. We undertook a study for evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting mpb64 gene for diagnosis of EPTB.

Methods: A total of 152 clinical samples from suspected cases of EPTB were included in this study.

Prevalence and speciation of non-tuberculous mycobacteria among pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis suspects in South India.

Background And Objectives: Non tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is an emerging opportunistic pathogen increasing globally and indistinguishable from tuberculosis (TB), which remains a challenge particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and diversity of NTM among both pulmonary TB (PTB) and extrpulmonary TB (EPTB) clinical isolates from south India.

Methodology: A total of 7633 specimens from TB suspects (PTB, n = 4327 and EPTB, n = 3306) were collected during the study period (July 2018-March 2020) in a tertiary care hospital.

Prevalence and Time Trend of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Puducherry, India, August-October 2020.

We conducted 3 population-based cross-sectional surveys, at 1-month intervals, to estimate the prevalence and time-trend of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in Puducherry, India. Seropositivity rate increased from 4.9% to 34.

Evaluation of factors influencing Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex recovery and contamination rates in MGIT960.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem worldwide. Contamination rate and poor recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in MGIT960 culture may affect the early diagnosis of TB. Evidence is needed to determine the factors associated with contamination rates and MTBC recovery in MGIT960.

Molecular diagnosis, genetic diversity and drug sensitivity patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from tuberculous meningitis patients at a tertiary care hospital in South India.

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection in humans and is a public health concern worldwide. We evaluated the performance of GeneXpert MTB/RIF (GeneXpert) for the diagnosis of TBM. In addition, genetic diversity and drug susceptibility profiling of Mtb strains isolated from TBM patients were also investigated.

Diagnostic performance of real time PCR and MALDI-TOF in the detection of nontuberculous mycobacteria from clinical isolates.

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of real-time PCR (qPCR) and MALDI-TOF for accurate and timely detection of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) from clinical isolates. We collected fifty NTM suspected Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) cultures and analysed the diagnostic performance of qPCR and VITEK MS using Line Probe Assay (LPA) GenoType CM (Common Mycobacteria) as gold standard. The qPCR assays targeting 16S rRNA, ITS and IS6110 genes were developed for the identification of NTM and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC).

Effect of malnutrition on radiographic findings and mycobacterial burden in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: The relationship between malnutrition and tuberculosis (TB) severity is understudied. We investigated the effect of malnutrition on radiographic findings and mycobacterial burden.

Methods: Subjects included newly diagnosed, smear-positive, culture-confirmed, pulmonary TB cases enrolled in the Regional Prospective Observational Research for TB (RePORT) cohort.

Assessment of global DNA methylation in children with tuberculosis disease.

Background: Studying DNA methylation changes in disease condition provides the basis of disease pathogenesis or host immune response to infection. Evidences suggest that pathogen-mediated DNA methylation changes influences the expression pattern of genes contributing to disease condition to avert host immune response. Hence, we attempted to study the association between tubercle bacilli-mediated global DNA methylation changes in children with tuberculosis (TB) disease and healthy controls.

Unforeseeable presentation of Chryseobacterium indologenes infection in a paediatric patient.

Background: We report for the first time a case of community acquired Chryseobacterium indologenes soft tissue infection in an immunocompetent patient.

Case Presentation: A 11 year female child, from South-Asia of Indian origin presented with fever, pain and swelling in right leg for 3 days with no significant past history. Incision and drainage was done and pus was sent for culture and sensitivity.

Performance of chromogenic media for Candida in rapid presumptive identification of Candida species from clinical materials.

Background: In perspective of the worldwide increase in a number of immunocompromised patients, the need for identification of Candida species has become a major concern. The development of chromogenic differential media, introduced recently, facilitate rapid speciation. However, it can be employed for routine mycology workup only after an exhaustive evaluation of its benefit and cost effectiveness.

Relationship between Antimicrobial Consumption and the Incidence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates.

Introduction: Gram negative organisms are one of the major causes of nosocomial diseases. Development of resistance to antibiotics by these organisms increases their risk in clinical treatment of patients. It also affects morbidity and mortality hence needs to be monitored and controlled.