Drug-susceptibility patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Mpumalanga province, South Africa: possible guiding design of retreatment regimen.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been a cause of concern in both developed and developing countries. The prevalence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates (n=692) from Mpumalanga province was assessed. In total, 692 (64%) MTB strains from cases with pulmonary TB were tested for susceptibility against rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and streptomycin using the MGIT 960 instrument.

Paecilomyces lilacinus eumycetoma.

Eumycetoma is a chronic granulomatous infection of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, fascia, and bone caused by true fungi. Most commonly, it affects the foot or hand. Fungi commonly reported to cause eumycetoma are Madurella mycetomatis, Madurella grisea, Phialophora jeanselmei, Cephalosporium recifei, etc.

Pasteurella gallinarum neonatal meningitis.

A 4-day-old baby weighing 1.7 kg was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, Pretoria, with a history of apneic attacks. On examination there was an umbilical sepsis and the neonate was septicemic.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital.

Pneumocystis carinii is recognized as one of the leading causes of death in AIDS patients in developed countries but its role in this regard in developing countries appears to be less prominent. Sub-Saharan African countries, in spite of their high HIV prevalence, have hardly recorded any cases. We report the first microbiologically proven case of PCP in an adult patient at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital.