Vidyavathii B. Chittaragi

Background: Salmonellosis is a major global public health concern, commonly caused by serovars such as Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. Rare serovars, however, may represent underrecognized links between environmental reservoirs and human infection. Salmonella enterica serovar Haifa is a sporadic serotype primarily associated with livestock and environmental sources and has previously been reported in Indian poultry but not in human clinical cases to date. Case Presentation: A 70-year-old male with a history of type 2 diabetes, presented with acute watery diarrhea and dehydration. One week prior to symptom onset, the patient reported direct contact with cattle and poultry in a rural setting. Laboratory investigations revealed leucopenia and elevated procalcitonin (3.73 ng/mL). Stool culture yielded non-lactose fermenting colonies on MacConkey agar and H₂S-producing colonies on Hektoen enteric agar. The isolate was identified via VITEK 2 and confirmed as Salmonella enterica serovar Haifa by the National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) revealed that the isolate showed resistance to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin. The patient was successfully treated with a three-day course of intravenous Azithromycin (1 g) and achieved rapid clinical recovery. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this case represents the first reported human infection caused by S. Haifa in India. The finding highlights the potential zoonotic risk of rare non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars and emphasizes the importance of surveillance, routine serotyping, and antimicrobial resistance monitoring within a One Health framework.

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is a high-priority antibiotic-resistant pathogen contributing significantly to the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC β-lactamases are major resistance mechanisms commonly observed in K. pneumoniae. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of ESBL and AmpC β-lactamase production and to evaluate associated antimicrobial resistance patterns among clinical isolates. A prospective laboratory study was conducted over one year (January-December 2020) in a tertiary care hospital, South India. Total of 100 clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae were included. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) were performed using the VITEK 2 compact system, while ESBL and AmpC production were detected using standard phenotypic methods. AST demonstrated markedly high resistance rates to carbapenems (meropenem, ertapenem and imipenem), fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin), cephalosporins (cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, and cefepime), and β-lactamase inhibitors. Overall, 53% (n = 53) of isolates were ESBL producers, 48% (n = 48) were AmpC producers, while 24% (n = 24) exhibited co-production of both enzymes. The proportion of co-producers represents a considerable subset, suggesting a clinically relevant association with multidrug-resistance. The association between ESBL and AmpC β-lactamase production was found to be statistically not significant (P-value = 0.49). The co-existence of ESBL and AmpC enzymes was associated with a higher resistance burden across multiple antibiotic classes, underscoring its potential impact on therapeutic outcomes. These findings highlight a substantial prevalence of β-lactamase-mediated resistance and emphasize the need for continuous surveillance, implementation of robust antimicrobial stewardship programs, and proper infection control strategies to limit the spread of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2), which caused primary COVID-19 infection in millions worldwide, raised significant concerns as viral mutations emerged, leading to reinfections among previously infected and vaccinated individuals. This phenomenon became particularly evident during the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Methods: The current study observed the rates of reinfections due to SARS-CoV-2 and their relation to vaccination details by retrospectively analyzing the data of patients who had reinfections during the second and third waves of COVID-19. Results: Among the 458 study participants, 62/458 (13.54%) with primary infection had confirmed re-infection. Of the 458 people infected with COVID-19 for the first time, 60 (13%) were asymptomatic and 398 (87%) were symptomatic. The most frequently observed symptoms were fever during primary (70.3%) and re-infection (72.58%). A statistically significant association was observed between vomiting symptoms and infection status ( p < 0.01). Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 is re-emerging with new variants and varied presentations, posing a challenge to clinicians regarding specific diagnoses. The symptoms of COVID-19 during primary and re-infection did not differ greatly. Although vaccination protects individuals against reinfections, the exact duration of protection remains unknown and may necessitate booster doses at frequent intervals.

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) represent a significant clinical burden necessitating accurate microbiological diagnosis to guide targeted antimicrobial therapy. The quality of sputum specimens substantially influences the validity of culture results and diagnostic reliability. The Bartlett scoring system (BS) is a standardized, objective tool for assessing sputum specimen quality. However, its clinical utility in predicting culture positivity within tertiary care settings remains inadequately characterized in existing literature. Methods: A clinical audit was conducted on 212 consecutive sputum samples from patients with suspected LRTIs collected during September and October 2023 at a tertiary care center. All specimens underwent direct microscopy examination with concurrent assessment using the Bartlett scoring system (range 0–4). Samples meeting quality criteria (BS≥2) were processed for culture using standard microbiological techniques. Culture positivity rates were correlated with Bartlett scores to determine the association between sample quality assessment and microbiological yield. Results: Among the 212 sputum samples analyzed, specimens with higher Bartlett scores demonstrated significantly increased culture positivity rates, establishing a positive correlation between sample quality assessment and microbiological diagnostic yield. Samples classified as high-quality (BS≥2) demonstrated superior diagnostic utility compared to lower-quality specimens. The Bartlett scoring system, when applied systematically in conjunction with direct microscopy, facilitated objective specimen selection and enhanced laboratory processing efficiency. Conclusions: This audit demonstrates that the scientific utility of Bartlett scoring system serves as a valuable objective tool for assessing sputum quality and predicting culture positivity.

Deciphering fosfomycin\\\'s antimicrobial action: comparative evaluation of susceptibility testing techniques on clinical isolates - IJMR- Print ISSN No: - 2394-546X Online ISSN No:- 2394-5478 Article DOI No:- 10.18231/j.ijmr.2025.013, Indian Journal of Microbiology Research-Indian J Microbiol Res

Gram-negative bacterial infections that are resistant to carbapenems are a serious clinical problem. The only effective drugs against them are still tigecycline and colistin. In fact, polymyxin E, also known as colistin, has been regarded as a "last resort" antibiotic. But in recent years, colistin resistance has increased globally, significantly reducing treatment options and highlighting the significance of accurate colistin testing methods to support appropriate therapeutic decision-making. There is no requirement to cite reference in the So it is suggested to rephrase the sentence. The primary goal of the study is to compare the effectiveness of E-test and Vitek 2 for colistin sensitivity testing to the conventional microbroth dilution method using 120 clinical isolates of and that are resistant to carbapenem over the course of a year, isolated from January to December 2019. In comparison to Vitek-2, the results indicated that brothmicro dilution and E-test produced the narrowest range of colistin MICs. After comparing the E-test's errors and overall agreement with BMD, 100% of the Essential Agreement, 94.27% of the Categorical Agreement, and 5.72% of the Very Major Errors with no Major Errors were found. Comparing Vitek-2 with BMD, similar results were found: 1.66% MEs, 98.32% CAs, 80.99% EAs, and no VMEs. As a result, it was determined that, in contrast to Vitek-2, MBD and E-test had distinct MICs, making them appropriate for determining colistin MIC. It will take more research on automated systems to standardize colistin susceptibility testing procedures, particularly for and .

: To determine the fluconazole and Amphotericin B susceptibility pattern among isolates by disk diffusion, Vitek-2 method, and micro-broth dilution methods (MBD).Fungal infections are now becoming more prevalent than bacterial in causing opportunistic and nosocomial infections. are among the most common invasive fungi that are seen in most patients with predisposing co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. Therefore; identification of the species and antifungal susceptibility testing is essential for proper patient management as various species respond differently to antifungals and for the prevention of emergence of drug resistance. isolated from different specimens were included in the study, speciation of the isolates was achieved by Vitek 2 automated machine and also with corn meal agar inoculation (CMA). The comparison of antifungal susceptibility testing was done by three different methods which included Vitek 2 systems, disk diffusion, and Micro-broth dilution methods. The antifungal susceptibility was tested for fluconazole and Amphotericin B. A total of 50 isolates were randomly selected and speciated. Species-wise distribution showed s to be the most common one accounting for 34 (69%) followed by 12(24%) and 4 (12%) of them were . The overall resistance among these isolates was as follows: by micro –broth dilution fluconazole resistance to was 6% and to Amphotericin B was 8%. By disc diffusion, fluconazole resistance was 10%, Amphotericin B was 14%. With the Vitek 2 system, fluconazole and Amphotericin B showed resistance of 10% and 6% respectively. Speciation and Antifungal susceptibility testing of solates are of great significance regardless of the specimen isolated from, which helps in the management and knowing the epidemiology of the susceptibility pattern of the . For this to become a reality a reliable, easy, and sensitive method of antifungal susceptibility needs to be used in every Microbiology laboratory as a routine practice.

Dengue fever is one of the common viral illnesses linked with significant morbidity and mortality. Of late, there is rapid increase in dengue cases in India. The present study aimed to known dengue seropositivity in different seasons of a year, other laboratory parameters and its geographical distribution. During the study period of 15 months 4172 patients hospitalized with probable dengue fever were included. Dengue serology was done for all cases by ELISA(J. Mitra & Co). Demographic details were taken to create geographical maps of the disease. Of the 4172 suspected dengue cases, 817 had confirmed dengue illness. Of these 817 cases, 584 showed Ns1 antigen (71.4%), 150 IgM antibody (18.3%), and 38 had both Ns1 and Ig M (4.6%). Platelet count less than 1,00,000 were seen in 566 (69.27%) patients. Dengue was noticeably more during monsoon time (June to September) of a year. Through geographical maps major clusters were noticed urban areas of Mysuru and Krishnaraja Nagara , while few clusters were also observed in Periyapatna and T Narsipura taluks of Mysuru district. To minimize the load of dengue cases and its death rate better community awareness and vector control measures need to be strengthened during monsoon especially in areas where burden of the disease is more. This study helps in early preparedness of the authorities concerned in controlling possible epidemics in future.

Brucellosis distributed worldwide is a classical zoonotic disease. Complications associated with gangrene are quite uncommon and may or might not occur during the course of the disease. Here, we report a pediatric age group patient who presented with fever and gangrene over the upper and lower limbs and abdomen associated with brucellosis.