Standard protocols for performance evaluation of typhoid fever in-vitro diagnostic assays in laboratory and field settings.

Introduction: Typhoid fever is a leading public health problem in India and other South East Asian countries. Its diagnosis traditionally relies on culture methods with poor sensitivity, and serological methods with limited role in endemic areas. Incorrect diagnosis results in antibiotic misuse, disease complications, emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant strains.

Rubella immunity among pregnant women and the burden of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in India, 2022.

Background: India aims to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2023. We conducted serosurveys among pregnant women to monitor the trend of rubella immunity and estimate the CRS burden in India following a nationwide measles and rubella vaccination campaign.

Methods: We surveyed pregnant women at 13 sentinel sites across India from Aug to Oct 2022 to estimate seroprevalence of rubella IgG antibodies.

Pertussis Vaccines Scarcely Provide Protection against Infection in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a global public health concern. Pertussis vaccines have demonstrated good protection against infections, but their effectiveness against remains debated due to conflicting study outcomes.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the effectiveness of pertussis vaccines in protecting children against infection.

CrAss-Like Phages: From Discovery in Human Fecal Metagenome to Application as a Microbial Source Tracking Marker.

CrAss-like phages are a diverse group of bacteriophages genetically similar to the prototypical crAssphage (p-crAssphage), which was discovered in the human gut microbiome through a metagenomics approach. It was identified as a ubiquitous and highly abundant bacteriophage group in the gut microbiome. Initial co-occurrence analysis postulated Bacteroides spp.

Profile of cardiac lesions among laboratory confirmed congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) infants: a nationwide sentinel surveillance, India, 2016-22.

Background: The phenotypical profile of cardiovascular malformations in patients with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is varied. We aimed to describe the profile of cardiac defects among CRS patients detected in the sentinel CRS surveillance in India during 2016-22.

Methods: Sentinel sites enrolled infants with suspected CRS based on presence of cardiac defects, hearing impairment, eye signs, or maternal history of febrile rash illness.

An Update on Current Antiviral Strategies to Combat Human Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) remains an essential global concern due to its distinct life cycle, mutations and latency. As HCMV is a herpesvirus, it establishes a lifelong persistence in the host through a chronic state of infection. Immunocompromised individuals are at risk of significant morbidity and mortality from the virus.

Congenital rubella syndrome surveillance in India, 2016-21: Analysis of five years surveillance data.

Background: In India, facility-based surveillance for congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) was initiated in 2016 to estimate the burden and monitor the progress made in rubella control. We analyzed the surveillance data for 2016-2021 from 14 sentinel sites to describe the epidemiology of CRS.

Method: We analyzed the surveillance data to describe the distribution of suspected and laboratory confirmed CRS patients by time, place and person characteristics.

Outbreak of cholera in a remote village in western India.

Background & Objectives: Atypical El Tor strains of Vibrio cholerae are frequently implicated in outbreaks of cholera. It is important to understand genetic variations of such strains which impact clinical and epidemiological outcomes. The present study was carried out to characterize an outbreak of cholera which occurred between July 8 and 13, 2018, in a remote settlement in Nashik district, Maharashtra.

Looking beyond Pertussis in Prolonged Cough Illness of Young Children.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is one of the most poorly controlled vaccine-preventable diseases in the world. South-East Asia is estimated to contribute the most to childhood disease burden while this remains largely unexplored in India. The clinical diagnosis of pertussis in young children is a challenge as the classical four-stage presentation with paroxysmal cough or whoop may be absent.

Detection of Echovirus-18 in Children Suspected With SARS-CoV-2 Infection With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome: A Case Report From India.

There have been several reports across the globe regarding the presentation of a severe multi-system hyperinflammatory syndrome, resembling Kawasaki disease (KD), in the pediatric population during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The exact pathophysiology is still unclear; however, children typically demonstrate multi-organ dysfunction and less respiratory system involvement compared to adults. The limited literature is available at present for the identification and management of such patients.

Draft Whole-Genome Sequences of Two Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Senftenberg Sequence Type 14 Strains Resistant to Ciprofloxacin, Ceftriaxone, and/or Azithromycin, Isolated from Kolkata, India.

We report draft whole-genome sequences of two multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg sequence type 14 strains resistant to ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and/or azithromycin, which were isolated from neonatal stool and goat meat in Kolkata, India. The genome characteristics, as well as the antimicrobial resistance genes, plasmid types, and integrons, are presented in this report.

Evidence-Based Health Behavior Interventions for Cholera: Lessons from an Outbreak Investigation in India.

In rural India, since 2014, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) has ensured construction of more than 100 million toilets and is now focusing on reinforcement of sanitation behaviors. We report a cholera outbreak in a remote village in western India where open defecation was implicated in causation. A water pipeline was damaged in the vicinity of a stream flowing from a site of open defecation.

Pertussis seroprevalence in mother-infant pairs from India: role of maternal immunisation.

Objective: To evaluate pertussis antibody status of pregnant women and their newborns, and the impact of antenatal immunisation.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Hospitals in urban western India.

Burden of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in India based on data from cross-sectional serosurveys, 2017 and 2019-20.

Background: India has set a goal to eliminate measles and rubella/Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) by 2023. Towards this goal, India conducted nationwide supplementary immunization activity (SIA) with measles-rubella containing vaccine (MRCV) targeting children aged between 9 months to <15 years and established a hospital-based sentinel surveillance for CRS. Reliable data about incidence of CRS is necessary to monitor progress towards the elimination goal.

Active support after natural disasters: a review of a microbiologist's role.

In the aftermath of a natural disaster, multispecialty rapid response teams are deployed to support health-related relief work. Microbiologists are often part of such teams, along with public health specialists, clinicians and entomologists, and can contribute to the response in multiple ways. The role of a microbiologist is critical not only for laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases, but also for situational analysis and evaluation, planning, prevention and control.

Epidemiology of Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) in India, 2016-18, based on data from sentinel surveillance.

Background: Government of India is committed to eliminate measles and control rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2020. In 2016, CRS surveillance was established in five sentinel sites. We analyzed surveillance data to describe the epidemiology of CRS in India.

Kinetics of viral RNA, immunoglobulin-M & G antibodies in Kyasanur forest disease.

Background & Objectives: Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is an infectious disease discovered in Karnataka State of India in 1957; since then, the State has been known to be enzootic for KFD. In the last few years, its presence was observed in the adjoining five States of the Western Ghats of India. The present study was conducted to understand the kinetics of viral RNA, immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibody in KFD-infected humans for developing a diagnostic algorithm for KFD.

Molecular aspects of the teratogenesis of rubella virus.

Rubella or German measles is an infection caused by rubella virus (RV). Infection of children and adults is usually characterized by a mild exanthematous febrile illness. However, RV is a major cause of birth defects and fetal death following infection in pregnant women.

Direct Saliva Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay Shows Low Birth Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in Urban Western India.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the leading infectious cause of mental retardation, developmental delay and sensorineural deafness. Nonprimary infection plays a major role in transmission of this infection in countries with high maternal seroprevalence. Noninvasive sampling and testing is a useful alternative to traditional methods of laboratory detection of congenital CMV infection.

Comparison of two commercial ELISA kits for detection of rubella specific IgM in suspected congenital rubella syndrome cases and rubella IgG antibodies in a serosurvey of pregnant women.

Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibody identification, is important for laboratory confirmation of rubella infection in different settings. The Enzygnost rubella ELISA, widely used in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, is expensive and often unavailable. Qualitative and quantitative performance of the Euroimmun ELISA was compared with the Enzygnost ELISA, for detection of rubella specific IgM, using 283 sera collected from suspected congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) patients and IgG antibodies using 435 sera from a serosurvey among pregnant women.

Sentinel Surveillance for Congenital Rubella Syndrome - India, 2016-2017.

Rubella infection during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or a constellation of congenital malformations known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The 11 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region are committed to the elimination of measles and control of rubella and CRS by 2020. Until 2016, when the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research initiated surveillance for CRS in five sentinel sites, India did not conduct systematic surveillance for CRS.