Acid fast bacillus smear, mycobacterial culture and Xpert MTB/RIF assay for the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis in patients with and without end stage renal failure.

Introduction: Diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) requires a high index of suspicion.

Hypothesis /gap Statement: Information about the diagnostic features of TBP among patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) from India is limited.

Aim: To assess the utility of the Gene Xpert MTB/RIF assay in the diagnosis of TBP in patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF), compared with those without ESRF.

Factors impacting behavioural intentions to adopt the electronic marketplace: findings from small businesses in India.

The pandemic has accelerated e-commerce adoption for both consumers and sellers. This study aims to identify factors critical to the adoption of electronic markets (EM) during the pandemic, from the perspective of small sellers in non-metro cities. The research design utilizes core dimensions of the UTAUT model and selected constructs from protection motivation theory; since business closure vulnerability also triggers electronic market adoption.

Emerging frontiers of antibiotics use and their impacts on the human gut microbiome.

Antibiotics, the primary drugs used to cure bacterial diseases, are increasingly becoming ineffective due to the emergence of multiple drug resistance (MDR) leading to recurrence of previously sensitive pathogens. Human gut microbiome (GM), known to play an important role in various physiological processes, consists of pool of diverse microbes. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics during the life span of an individual may lead to development of resistant microbes e.

A review emphasizing on utility of heptad repeat sequence as a tool to design pharmacologically safe peptide-based antibiotics.

Extensive usage of antibiotics has created an unprecedented scenario of the rapid emergence of many drug-resistant bacteria, which has become an alarming public health concern around the globe. Search for better alternatives that are as efficacious as antibiotics led to the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These small cationic amphiphilic peptides have emerged as a promising option as antimicrobial agents, owing to their multifaceted implications against varied pathogens.

Assessment of burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis at a tertiary care centre in northern India: a prospective single centre cohort study.

Objectives: We aim to define the burden of rifampicin monoresistant tuberculosis (TB) at a tertiary care centre in northern India as well as determine the second-line drug susceptibilities (SL-DST) in a subset of patients.

Methods: A total of 3045 pulmonary (n=1883) and extrapulmonary (n=1162) samples from likely patients with TB were subjected to microscopy, culture and the Xpert MTB/RIF assay from March 2017 to June 2019. SL-DST testing by line probe assay version 2 for fluoroquinolones (FQs) and second-line injectable drugs were performed on 62 samples.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Reveals Horizontal Gene Transfer-Mediated Evolution of the CRISPR-Cas System in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) genes are conserved genetic elements in many prokaryotes, including , the causative agent of tuberculosis. Although knowledge of CRISPR locus variability has been utilized in strain genotyping, its evolutionary path in is not well understood. In this study, we have performed a comparative analysis of 141 mycobacterial genomes and identified the exclusive presence of the CRISPR-Cas type III-A system in complex (MTBC).

Methylation of two-component response regulator MtrA in mycobacteria negatively modulates its DNA binding and transcriptional activation.

Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, nitrosylation, and pupylation modulate multiple cellular processes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While protein methylation at lysine and arginine residues is widespread in eukaryotes, to date only two methylated proteins in Mtb have been identified. Here, we report the identification of methylation at lysine and/or arginine residues in nine mycobacterial proteins.

Diagnostic performance of non-invasive, stool-based molecular assays in patients with paucibacillary tuberculosis.

Timely diagnosis of paucibacillary tuberculosis (TB) which includes smear-negative pulmonary TB (PTB) and extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) remains a challenge. This study was performed to assess the diagnostic utility of stool as a specimen of choice for detection of mycobacterial DNA in paucibacillary TB patients in a TB-endemic setting. Stool samples were collected from 246 subjects including 129 TB patients (62 PTB and 67 EPTB) recruited at TB hospital in Delhi, India.

Comparison of DNA Extraction Methods for Optimal Recovery of Metagenomic DNA from Human and Environmental Samples.

Metagenomics is the study of gene pool of an entire community in a particular niche. This provides valuable information about the functionality of host-microbe interaction in a biological ecosystem. Efficient metagenomic DNA extraction is a critical pre-requisite for a successful sequencing run in a metagenomic study.

Asymptomatic filariasis and leprosy co-morbidity in a patient with suspected Guillain-Barrè syndrome: the first case report of an incidental finding in a slit-skin smear.

Introduction: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and leprosy are both endemic in India. These diseases are on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), as they affect the most marginalized communities in the world, resulting in deformities and functional limitation. We report the first case of asymptomatic filariasis and leprosy co-morbidity in a patient with suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The Ser/Thr protein kinase PrkC imprints phenotypic memory in spores by phosphorylating the glycolytic enzyme enolase.

is the causative agent of anthrax in humans, bovine, and other animals. pathogenesis requires differentiation of dormant spores into vegetative cells. The spores inherit cellular components as phenotypic memory from the parent cell, and this memory plays a critical role in facilitating the spores' revival.

Tuning the Alternative Sigma Factor SigF through the Multidomain Regulator Rv1364c and Osmosensory Kinase Protein Kinase D.

Bacterial alternative sigma factors are mostly regulated by a partner-switching mechanism. Regulation of the virulence-associated alternative sigma factor SigF of has been an area of intrigue, with SigF having more predicted regulators than other sigma factors in this organism. Rv1364c is one such predicted regulator, the mechanism of which is confounded by the presence of both anti-sigma factor and anti-sigma factor antagonist functions in a single polypeptide.

Validation of a method for diosgenin extraction from fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.).

Background: Diosgenin is a very important plant secondary metabolite and raw material for the drug indus- try. Plant sources rich in diosgenin include yam (Dioscorea spp.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.

Multi-Drug Resistant Surgical Site Infection Due to Mycobacterium abscessus Complex.

M. abscessus complex is notoriously resistant to most antimicrobial agents. The complex is differentiated into 3 subspecies: M.

Exploring the Carbamazepine Interaction with Human Pregnane X Receptor and Effect on ABCC2 Using in Vitro and in Silico Approach.

Purpose: Over expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters is considered one of the major reasons for non-responsiveness to antiepileptic drugs. Carbamazepine (CBZ), one of first line antiepileptic drug is known to influence ABCC2 expression but its exact molecular mechanism is unknown.

Methods: We investigated the effect of CBZ on expression of ABCC2 and pregnane X receptor (PXR) in HepG2 cell line and compared with hyperforin (agonist of PXR) and ketoconazole (antagonist of PXR) through realtime PCR and western blot assay.

A cost-effective anaerobic culture method & its comparison with a standard method.

Twenty six anaerobes were recovered from 150 deep-seated abscess samples cultured by the proposed two-step combustion-modified candle-jar system and Anoxomat. The degree of growth and colony size were similar in both systems, except for Clostridium difficile. The modified candle-jar system was found to be a sensitive and cost-effective alternative that might be used in resource-limited settings.

Model Systems for Pulmonary Infectious Diseases: Paradigms of Anthrax and Tuberculosis.

Robert Koch utilized animal model systems to put forward his postulates while discovering the etiological agents of anthrax and tuberculosis, Bacillus anthracis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, respectively. After more than 130 years, we have achieved limited success towards understanding these two pestilences, which have propagated as scourge against humans. B.

Antimicrobial susceptibility to azithromycin among Salmonella enterica Typhi and Paratyphi A isolates from India.

Decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility (DCS) and multidrug resistance in typhoidal Salmonella isolates in areas of endemicity are significant therapeutic problems. Guidelines for azithromycin disc diffusion and MIC interpretive criteria for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi were published recently by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute in 2015. We investigated the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of azithromycin in 100 isolates of Salmonella Typhi (n=80), Paratyphi A (n=18) and B (n=2) recovered from bloodstream infections from January 2013 to December 2015.

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and sequence analysis of DNA gyrase and DNA topoisomerase IV in Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A isolates with decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin.

Background: We describe the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of 100 typhoidal Salmonella isolates recovered from blood cultures and also investigate the association of decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility with mutations in the genes coding for DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV in 55 isolates.

Methods: The study was conducted between January 2013 and December 2015 at a tertiary care centre in north India. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and E-test.

Characterization of MymA protein as a flavin-containing monooxygenase and as a target of isoniazid.

Tuberculosis is a global health problem especially with the emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, creating an urgent need to identify new drug targets. The mycobacterial cell wall is an attractive target for chemotherapeutic agents. Gene products of mymA operon are known to be required for the maintenance of cell wall and play an important role in persistence, thus making them important drug targets.