India-discovered levonadifloxacin & alalevonadifloxacin: A review on susceptibility testing methods, CLSI quality control and breakpoints along with a brief account of their emerging therapeutic profile as a novel standard-of-care.

Background: Levonadifloxacin (intravenous) and alalevonadifloxacin (oral prodrug) are novel antibiotics based on benzoquinolizine subclass of fluoroquinolone, licensed for clinical use in India in 2019. The active moiety, levonadifloxacin, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with a high potency against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus. aureus, multi-drug resistant pneumococci and anaerobes.

In vitro activity of a novel antibacterial agent, levonadifloxacin, against clinical isolates collected in a prospective, multicentre surveillance study in India during 2016-18.

Background: Levonadifloxacin is a novel antibiotic belonging to the benzoquinolizine subclass of fluoroquinolones with potent activity against MRSA and quinolone-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. IV levonadifloxacin and its oral prodrug alalevonadifloxacin have recently been approved in India for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) including diabetic foot infections.

Objectives: To investigate the in vitro activity of levonadifloxacin against contemporary clinical isolates collected from multiple tertiary care hospitals across India in the Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiling of Indian Resistotypes (ASPIRE) surveillance study.

Linezolid resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (LRCoNS) with novel mutations causing blood stream infections (BSI) in India.

Background: Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) have emerged as a major causative agent of blood-stream infections (BSI). Linezolid (LZD) is currently used for treating glycopeptide and methicillin-resistant staphylococci. It is important to understand the resistance mechanism and probable transmission of LZD resistant (LR) CoNS within the hospital.

Direct testing by VITEK 2: A dependable method to reduce turnaround time in Gram-negative bloodstream infections.

Context: Bloodstream infections pose a major health-care burden worldwide. Routine microbiological methods are time-consuming, thereby delaying appropriate treatment.

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the method of direct testing of identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of positive blood culture bottles by VITEK2.

Pulmonary Cryptococcosis in HIV- sero-negative patients: case series from India.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis is likely to be misdiagnosed due to relatively non-specific clinical and radiological features. It is more frequently associated with immuno-suppressed conditions especially acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Four cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were diagnosed over a period of eleven years.

Herpes simplex virus 2 : a boon to develop other sexually transmitted infections.

Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Though, mostly asymptomatic, it acts as a potential risk factor for acquisition of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The present study was undertaken to know sero-prevalence of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2), syphilis and HIV among STI clinic attendees and to detect the diagnostic utility of HSV2 IgM antibodies.