The rise of Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing ceftriaxone resistant Salmonella Typhi from western Rajasthan, India.

Introduction: Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi, remains a sig-nificant public health concern, particularly in developing countries. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance, including resistance to first-line drugs, fluoroquinolones, and the development of re-sistance to ceftriaxone, poses a significant threat to effective treatment.

Methods: This study investigated extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Salmonella Typhi isolates from blood samples of patients with suspected typhoid fever at a tertiary care hospital in Western Rajasthan, India, between April 2022 and May 2024.

Bacterial Contamination of Spacer Devices Used by Asthmatic Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of bacterial contamination of spacer devices used by asthmatic children.

Methods: A cross-sectional study at a tertiary centre in India included asthmatic children aged 5 to 17 years who were using metered-dose inhaler (MDI) with a spacer for at least three months. A sterile cotton swab pre-moistened in sterile brain heart infusion (BHI) broth, rotated around the inner surface of the spacers, was smeared on blood agar and MacConkey agar plates.

Bridging the gap: Early detection of pulmonary tuberculosis among PLHIV in Western Rajasthan, India.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV), with delayed diagnosis contributing significantly to poor outcomes. Early detection through systematic screening and diagnostic tools is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the World Health Organization (WHO) four-symptom screen (fever, cough, weight loss, and night sweats), using Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, California) as the gold standard for early detection of pulmonary TB in HIV-positive patients.

Comparison of Different Diagnostic Modalities for Helicobacter pylori Infection in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia and Peptic Ulcer Disease.

Background: There are several diagnostic techniques for detecting Helicobacter pylori, the most common of which are upper GI endoscopic biopsies and stool specimens as optimal sam-ples. The goal of this study was to detect and compare H. pylori infection using the following tech-niques: rapid urease test (RUT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture, histopathology, and stool antigen test (SAT), as well as to assess their validity in detecting H.

A Day Saved is a Life Saved: Direct Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing from Positively Flagged Blood Culture Bottles and their Concordance with the Routine Method.

Background: Sepsis is a major health problem worldwide and is associated with high morbidity and mortality with every hour delay in initiation of therapy. A conventional method of blood culture and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) takes around 48-72 hours. Empirical antibiotics need to be administered until the sensitivity report is made available.

Clinical Features, Radiological Findings, and Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Nocardiosis: A Retrospective Analysis.

Introduction Lack of specific clinical features makes the diagnosis of pulmonary nocardiosis difficult. A high index of suspicion is required for diagnosis especially in cohorts with pre-existing risk factors. This study aimed to study the clinical and radiological characteristics and outcomes in patients with pulmonary nocardiosis.

Primary pelvic echinococcosis though uncommon but not rare.

Echinococcosis is caused by larva of . Liver being most commonly involved, other organs/body parts such as bone involvement is not so uncommon, especially in cattle-raising countries such as India. Primary osseous echinococcosis remains undiagnosed until complications have developed.

West Nile Viral Meningoencephalitis in an Immunocompetent Female: A Case Report from Western Rajasthan, India.

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae and genus Flavivirus. The virus is transmitted primarily by the bite of Culex species mosquito and is of global concern. The infection is associated with a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms and is more fatal in the elderly, infants, and immunocompromised individuals.

Antifungal profile of vulvovaginal candidiasis in sexually active females from a tertiary care hospital of Western Rajasthan.

Introduction: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is the commonest form of sexually transmitted infection especially in sexually active females. Various species of i.e.

Case Series and Mini-Review on Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, A high Alert Organism Causing Meningitis in Premature Neonates from A Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Rajasthan.

Background: Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is a ubiquitous organism rarely associated with human diseases, but its association especially among hospitalized premature neonates and immunocompromised individuals are not so common.

Case: We report two cases of neonatal bacteraemia and meningitis among low birth weight premature neonates admitted in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) by E. meningoseptica, a high alert organism associated with such conditions.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis with Aspergillosis in a patient with COPD: A rare co-infection.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis and invasive Aspergillosis are well documented in immunocompromised patients. The coexistence of both infections is a diagnostic rarity, especially in patients with underlying structural lung diseases. We describe this rare association in a 46-year-old female with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis and COPD.

Simultaneous detection of IgM antibodies against dengue and chikungunya: Coinfection or cross-reactivity?

Background: Dengue and chikungunya sharing same mosquito vector are two most important arboviruses circulating in northern India including Delhi and are responsible for frequent outbreaks. Antigen and antibodies detection ELISA kits are the major tool to diagnose these viral illnesses, and are sometimes associated with cross-reactivity, giving a false picture of coinfection, although simultaneous harboring of both the viruses is not uncommon. Various studies have reported coinfection up to 25% from the same region.

Association of interleukin-2, -4 and -10 with dengue severity.

Background: Dengue is an arboviral disease caused by four distinct serotypes of dengue virus. The pathogenesis of dengue is not very clearly understood. Various pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are involved in the immune pathogenesis of dengue.

Dengue: Lessons of an Outbreak.

Introduction: Since 1967 there have been many outbreaks of dengue in Delhi. In the year 2015 Delhi has suffered it's one of the worst dengue outbreaks, with more than 15000 dengue confirmed cases and the highest number of deaths (60) in recent years.

Aim: To determine the status of Dengue cases as compared to previous six years, the ratio of primary and secondary dengue cases and to review the effectiveness of the one test strategy (either NS1 antigen or IgM antibody) for the confirmation of Dengue.