ABSTRACT
Introduction: Kocuria kristinae is a commensal organism, sometimes considered as a lab contaminant, but its repeated isolation from clinical samples in immunocompromised patients should raise red flags. Materials and Methods: We confirmed the infection with re-isolation of the organism from the same site before starting treatment. For the identification of Kocuria kristinae we used IDGP cards on VITEK 2 compact system. Antibiotic susceptibility test was done manually following CLSI guidelines 2018 for Coagulase-negative staphylococci. Results: A total of 510 major head neck oncosurgeries were performed during the period of two years. Out of which 120 patients had skin and soft tissue infections. Out of these infected patients, 90 were culture positive and of these Kocuria kristinae were isolated in 12 patients. Resistance to penicillin and oxacillin is seen in all isolates. Conclusion: Kocuria kristinae should not be ignored as a commensal flora or lab contaminant in immunocompromised hosts. Its Increase in resistance pattern is a matter of concern. It is an ignored opportunistic pathogen whose detailed sensitivity test should be developed to treat patients timely and effectively.
ABSTRACT
Background: Oral cancers are one of the ten leading cancers in the world. However, in India, it is one of the most common cancer and constitutes a major public health problem. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate, retrospectively, the epidemiologic profile of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods: OSCC cases were retrospectively analyzed from January 2008 to September 2010 for age, gender, occupation, duration of the symptoms, habits (tobacco and alcohol consumption), site of primary tumor, and TNM staging, and the findings were formulated to chart the trends in central India population. Results: Male to female ratio was 4.18:1. Mean age was 49.73 years. The most common site of presentation of tumor was in mandibular alveolus region. Tobacco chewing was the major cause for the development of OSCC. Maximum number of patients, i.e., 201 (68.14%) were presented within 6 months of onset of symptoms. Majority of patients were presented in Stage III (82.37%). Correlation between the two variables, i.e., site to habits, staging to site involved, staging to duration of the disease, staging to habits, and staging to age of the patient, were found to be statistically nonsignificant (P>0.05). Conclusions: The aim of the study was the demographic description of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Most of the cases report at advanced stages of the disease which often leads to delay in the management coupled with the fact that health care centers are burdened with long waiting lists. Strategies to overcome the present situation must be undertaken by oral health programs for the early diagnosis and prevention and management and follow up of oral cancer.