Novel sequence type of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter pittii ST1451 with enhanced virulence isolated from septicaemic neonates in India.

Background: The clinical relevance of Acinetobacter pittii is increasing, but reports of this organism causing neonatal sepsis are rare.

Objectives: To understand the mechanisms of resistance and virulence of A. pittii isolated from neonatal blood belonging to a novel sequence type.

Intranasal immunization of mice with chimera of Salmonella Typhi protein elicits protective intestinal immunity.

Development of safe, highly effective and affordable enteric fever vaccines is a global health priority. Live, oral typhoid vaccines induce strong mucosal immunity and long-term protection, but safety remains a concern. In contrast, efficacy wears off rapidly for injectable, polysaccharide-based vaccines, which elicit poor mucosal response.

Vibriosis in South Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: South Asia remains home to foodborne diseases caused by the Vibrio species. We aimed to compile and update information on the epidemiology of vibriosis in South Asia.

Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar for studies related to vibriosis in South Asia published up to May 2023.

Do Oral Cholera Vaccine and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Combine to Provide Greater Protection Against Cholera? Results From a Cluster-Randomized Trial of Oral Cholera Vaccine in Kolkata, India.

Background: Oral cholera vaccine (OCV) and incremental improvements in household water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) within cholera-endemic areas can reduce cholera risk. However, we lack empiric evaluation of their combined impact.

Methods: We evaluated a cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled trial of OCV (Shanchol) in Kolkata, India.

A candidate glycoconjugate vaccine induces protective antibodies in the serum and intestinal secretions, antibody recall response and memory T cells and protects against both typhoidal and non-typhoidal serovars.

Human infections pose significant public health challenges globally, primarily due to low diagnostic yield of systemic infections, emerging and expanding antibiotic resistance of both the typhoidal and non-typhoidal strains and the development of asymptomatic carrier state that functions as a reservoir of infection in the community. The limited long-term efficacy of the currently licensed typhoid vaccines, especially in smaller children and non-availability of vaccines against other serovars necessitate active research towards developing a multivalent vaccine with wider coverage of protection against pathogenic serovars. We had earlier reported immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a subunit vaccine containing a recombinant outer membrane protein (T2544) of Typhi in a mouse model.

The Efficacy and Safety of Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir Treatment in Children and Adolescents With Thalassemia and Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Background/aim: Thalassemia patients are susceptible to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection due to blood transfusions. Currently, data on treating HCV in thalassemic children with direct-acting antivirals is lacking. This study was performed to determine the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir-daclatasvir combination therapy in thalassemic children and adolescents.

Lactate Dehydrogenase as a Biomarker in Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis was planned with the objective of evaluating the level of Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) in oral submucous fibrosis patients and in controls and comparing them. For this meta-analysis, we searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) databases using a search methodology that included combinations of MeSH terms and keywords and included cross-sectional studies to evaluate the levels of LDH in patients with Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF), Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) and compared it with the controls. The total number of records identified through database searching was 4161 (n).

Comprehensive full genome analysis of norovirus strains from eastern India, 2017-2021.

Background: Worldwide, noroviruses are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in people of all age groups. In India, norovirus rates between 1.4 to 44.

Syndemic effect of COVID-19 outbreak on HIV care delivery around the globe: A systematic review using narrative synthesis.

Background: The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems worldwide has been compromising the progress made in the fight against HIV. This paper aims to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted HIV comprehensive care service delivery globally as well as to consolidate the evidence and recommendations that may be useful in averting future crisis.

Methods: This review adheres to PRISMA guidelines.

Dysbiosis of the Beneficial Gut Bacteria in Patients with Parkinson's Disease from India.

Objectives: Recent advancement in understanding neurological disorders has revealed the involvement of dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). We sequenced microbial DNA using fecal samples collected from PD cases and healthy controls (HCs) to evaluate the role of gut microbiota.

Methods: Full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples was performed using amplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products on the GridION Nanopore sequencer.

Foodborne Outbreak by Serovar Weltevreden in West Bengal, India.

Foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks owing to serovar Weltevreden ( Weltevreden) represent a significant global public health problem. In the past two decades, Weltevreden has emerged as a dominant foodborne pathogen, especially in South-East Asian countries. This report describes a community foodborne outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Weltevreden in August 2022 following consumption of panipuri from a street vendor in the Polba block in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India.

The basic reproduction number (R) of ebola virus disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Ebola virus disease (Ebola) is highly pathogenic, transmissible, and often deadly, with debilitating consequences. Superspreading within a cluster is also possible. In this study, we aim to document Ebola basic reproduction number (R): the average number of new cases associated with an Ebola case in a completely susceptible population.

The NFκB signaling system in the generation of B-cell subsets: from germinal center B cells to memory B cells and plasma cells.

Memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells are the two prime effector B cell populations that drive infection- and vaccine-induced long-term antibody-mediated immunity. The antibody-mediated immunity mostly relies on the formation of specialized structures within secondary lymphoid organs, called germinal centers (GCs), that facilitate the interactions between B cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting cells. Antigen-activated B cells may proliferate and differentiate into GC-independent plasmablasts and memory B cells or differentiate into GC B cells.

Diagnostic validation study of rapid urinary tract infection diagnosis kit at peripheral health facilities of West Bengal, India.

Patients reporting to the outpatient departments of peripheral health care settings in India with symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI) receive one or the other antibiotic before culture confirmation and out of the total culture confirmed UTI cases, in less than one third cases the prescribed antibiotics matches to the antibiotic sensitivity test result. Hence, in this study, an indigenous point-of-care (POCT) rapid diagnostic kit (Rapidogram) for UTI was validated against conventional urine culture and sensitivity to understand its possible applicability at peripheral health care settings. This cross-sectional study was conducted during November 2021 to June 2022 in OPDs of two peripheral hospitals.

Role of Influenza A virus protein NS1 in regulating host nuclear body ND10 complex formation and its involvement in establishment of viral pathogenesis.

Influenza viral infection is a seasonal infection which causes widespread acute respiratory issues among humans globally. This virus changes its surface receptor composition to escape the recognition process by the host's immune cells. Therefore, the present study focussed to identify some other important viral proteins which have a significant role in establishment of infection and having apparent conserved structural composition.

Proteomic analysis and protein structure prediction of Shigella phage Sfk20 based on a comparative study using structure prediction approaches.

Bacteriophages are the natural predators of bacteria and are available abundantly everywhere in nature. Lytic phages can specifically infect their bacterial host (through attachment to the receptor) and use their host replication machinery to replicate rapidly, a feature that enables them to kill a disease-causing bacteria. Hence, phage attachment to the host bacteria is the first important step of the infection process.

Recurrence of pulmonary tuberculosis in India: Findings from the 2019-2021 nationwide community-based TB prevalence survey.

Recurrent Tuberculosis patients contribute to a significant proportion of TB burden in India. A nationwide survey was conducted during 2019-2021 across India among adults to estimate the prevalence of TB. A total of 322480 individuals were screened and 1402 were having TB.

Leishmania donovani mevalonate kinase regulates host actin for inducing phagocytosis.

Despite the well-established role of macrophages in phagocytosing Leishmania, the contribution of the parasite to this process is not well understood. Present study provides insights into the mechanism underlying the MVK-induced entry of L. donovani and improve our knowledge of host-pathogen interactions.

Short tandem repeat (STR) based sequence typing of Entamoeba histolytica identifies S-D locus as a genetic marker, associated with disease outcomes.

Amoebiasis, caused by the enteric parasite Entamoeba histolytica has differential disease outcomes. The association of parasite genotypes with outcomes of amoebic infection is still a paradox and requires to be explored. The genetic information of infecting strains from endemic settings of different geographical regions is essential to evaluate the relation.

Comparison of the immunogenicity and safety of Euvichol-Plus with Shanchol in healthy Indian adults and children: an open-label, randomised, multicentre, non-inferiority, parallel-group, phase 3 trial.

Background: Considering the cholera menace in India and to seek licensure of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV), Euvichol-Plus, we conducted a clinical trial to compare the immunogenicity and safety of Euvichol-Plus with Shanchol in healthy Indian adults and children.

Methods: This phase 3, open-label, multicentre, randomised, non-inferiority, parallel-group, comparative study was conducted at seven sites across India involving 416 healthy adults (aged ≥18-60 years) and children (aged ≥1 to <18 years). Healthy individuals who agreed to participate through a voluntary written informed consent form along with oral or written assent (for children aged 7-18 years) were included.

Comparative study on Antibacterial efficacy of a series of chromone sulfonamide derivatives against drug-resistant and MDR-isolates.

Sulfonamide derivatives have numerous pharmaceutical applications having antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, anticancer, and antidepressant activities. The structural flexibility of sulfonamide derivatives makes them an excellent candidate for the development of new multi-target agents, although long-time exposure to sulfonamide drugs results in many toxic impacts on human health. However, sulfonamides may be functionalized for developing less toxic and more competent drugs.