Publications by authors named "Rameshwari Thakur"

Article Synopsis
  • Cryptococcosis is an infection caused by inhaling spores from a yeast found in the environment, which primarily affects the lungs and can spread to other organs, leading to serious complications like meningoencephalitis, especially in HIV-positive individuals.
  • Patients may develop skin lesions that resemble those of other conditions, such as molluscum contagiosum or Kaposi sarcoma, making diagnosis challenging.
  • A case is presented of a 34-year-old HIV-positive male with low CD4 count who exhibited distinct umbilicated skin lesions, and various diagnostic methods like punch biopsy and culture were used to identify the cause of the skin issues.
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Tinea universalis is a condition when most of the anatomical sites of body are involved due to dermatophyte infection both in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Here we present a case of tinea universalis due to Trichophyton indotineae (T. indotineae) from India.

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Article Synopsis
  • A newly identified dermatophyte species from India poses challenges for accurate diagnosis due to its resistance and hypervirulence, necessitating better methods for identification.
  • The study evaluated various rapid diagnostic techniques, revealing that MALDI-ToF MS is the most effective, successfully distinguishing 96.97% of closely related species.
  • It suggests that only dermatophyte species showing significant adaptation should be classified separately, while remaining clonal differences should be addressed for epidemiological purposes through haplotype numbering.
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A severe outbreak of highly virulent and multi-resistant dermatophytosis by species in the Trichophyton mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale complex is ongoing in India. The correct identity of the etiologic agent is a much-debated issue.

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Dermatophytes are a group of keratinophilic fungi, which normally cause superficial infection of skin, hair and nails. Based on ecology, they are classified into three groups: anthropophilic, zoophilic and geophilic. Superficial dermatophytic infection of the genital region is called genital dermatophytosis, tinea genitalis or pubo-genital dermatophytosis.

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Until recently, superficial dermatophytosis, also known as tinea, was considered as a minor skin infection, which was easy to treat. There used to be rare outbreaks and epidemics of superficial dermatophytosis. Lately, there is a sweeping change in the clinical presentation due to extensive, atypical and recalcitrant dermatophytosis.

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Tinea capitis is a common dermatophyte infection affecting scalp and hair of pre-pubertal children. With introduction of Griseofulvin in 1958, there has been considerable improvement in the treatment of tinea capitis. A seven-year-old male child was brought to the dermatology clinic.

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Background: Dermatophyte infections are a common cause of superficial fungal infection in different geographical locations of the world. Usually, it involves superficial invasion of keratinized tissue, eg, skin, nails, and hair, but in immunosuppressed individuals, it may cause atypical, extensive and deep lesions, which may pose serious diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Aim: To find out the causative dermatophyte species responsible for the various clinical types of dermatophyte infection.

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Tinea capitis in Botswana.

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol

February 2013

Background: Tinea capitis (TC) is a common dermatophyte infection of the scalp that can also involve the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Aim: This study aimed to find the causative fungus responsible for TC in Botswana and determine its association with the clinical types of TC.

Methods: Samples for potassium hydroxide 10% mounts and fungal cultures were collected in a microbiology laboratory at the National Health Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana.

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Article Synopsis
  • - A study in Botswana assessed whether starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) early during treatment for cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in HIV-infected individuals would enhance the clearance of the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  • - The trial involved 27 participants who were divided into two groups: one starting ART within 7 days and the other after 28 days, but there was no significant difference in the rate of fungal clearance between the two groups.
  • - While early ART did not improve CSF clearance, it was linked to a higher incidence of complications (specifically, cryptococcal meningitis immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, or CM-IRIS) among those who
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Cryptococcus gattii causes infection in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide but has garnered increased attention since its 1999 emergence in North America. C. gattii can be divided into 4 molecular types that may represent cryptic species.

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Most of the species of fungi that cause disease in mammals, including Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii (serotype A), are exogenous and non-contagious. Cryptococcus neoformans var.

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The clinical presentations and outcomes of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) may be associated with the cryptococcal species causing the infections. To evaluate clinical differences between CM caused by C. neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, we examined outcomes in HIV-infected adults with CM admitted to Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana.

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Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes among adults with a first episode of cryptococcal meningitis (CM), comparing those on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with those not on HAART.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study among HIV-infected adults (aged 18 years and older) with a first episode of CM at the Princess Marina Hospital, in Gaborone, Botswana. The proportions surviving to discharge were compared.

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We applied multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to investigate the population structure and mode of reproduction of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii (serotype A). This MLST system utilizes 12 unlinked polymorphic loci, which are dispersed on nine different chromosomes, and allows the unambiguous identification of closely related strains of serotype A.

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Cryptococcus gattii is a group of exogenous, neurotropic yeasts that possess the capsular serotype B or C. Isolates of serotype C are extremely rare and, until recently, were known to infect only immunocompetent individuals. We genotyped 176 isolates of Cryptococcus from patients in sub-Saharan Africa who had AIDS; 22 (13.

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