High prevalence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes in nosocomial-acquired Staphylococcus aureus isolated from tertiary care hospitals in Nepal.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrying the important virulence determinant, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), is an emerging infectious pathogen associated with skin and soft tissue infections as well as life-threatening invasive diseases. In carrying out the first PVL prevalence study in Nepal, we screened 73 nosocomial isolates of S. aureus from 2 tertiary care Nepali hospitals and obtained an overall PVL-positivity rate of 35.

Aeruginosins from a Microcystis sp. bloom material collected in Varanasi, India.

Two novel biologically active short peptides, aeruginosins IN608 and IN652, were isolated from the cyanobacterium Microcystis sp. strain BHU006, which was collected from Durgakund water reservoir in Varanasi, India. Aeruginosins IN608 and IN652 are linear modified peptides containing four building blocks, one of which is the arogenate-derived modified amino acid 2-carboxy-6-hydroxyoctahydroindole.

Evaluation of the performance of nitrate reductase assay for rapid drug-susceptibility testing of mycobacterium tuberculosis in north India.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of nitrate reductase assay (NRA) as a rapid, reliable and inexpensive method for drug-susceptibility testing (DST) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis against first-line antitubercular drugs, such as rifampicin (RIF), isoniazid (INH), streptomycin (STR), and ethambutol (EMB). In total, 286 isolates were subjected to test by proportion method (PM) and NRA. By comparing the results of NRA with those of the gold standard PM, sensitivities and specificities were 98.

Compararative evaluation of rK9, rK26 and rK39 antigens in the serodiagnosis of Indian visceral leishmaniasis.

Background: This study was designed for comparative evaluation of two relatively newer recombinant hydrophilic antigens, rK9 and rK26 of Leishmania chagasi along with rK39 (a 39-aminoacid-repetitive immunodominant B-cell epitope of kinesin-related antigen from L. chagasi) and crude soluble antigen (CSA) for the serodiagnosis of Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients by quantitative ELISA.

Methodology: In the present study a total of 80 subjects comprising of 55 confirmed VL cases and 25 endemic controls (EC) were subjected to ELISA using four different antigens, namely rK9, rK26, rK39 and CSA (derived from Leishmania donovani promastigotes).

Dark secrets behind the shimmer of contact lens: the Indian scenario.

Background: We studied the bacteriological profile of soft contact lens and its accessories among the asymptomatic subjects and monitored the compliance level with the lens use and its cleaning protocol.

Findings: A total of 115 (104 daily wear and 11 extended wear) subjects using contact lens were studied. Data regarding the duration of use and frequency and method of cleaning were recorded.