Outbreak of scrub typhus in the North East Himalayan region-Sikkim: An emerging threat.

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness that is known to be endemic in the South East Asian countries and the Western Pacific region. We here report an outbreak in the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim. Patients with pyrexia of unknown origin were evaluated. They were screened by Weil-Felix test and the rapid immunochromatographic method. Samples that were positive by either Weil-Felix agglutination test or by rapid immunochromatography were confirmed by IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total 204 samples were screened. Sixty-three patients were confirmed positive among which 42 were male and 21 were female. Effective management and early administration of antibiotics will help prevent the complications and mortality associated with scrub typhus.

Characterization of mycobacterial species in clinically diagnosed cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and their HIV status.

A total of 75 clinically diagnosed and radiologically evident cases suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis were selected for study. Sputum sample of each patient was screened for AFB by Ziehl Neelsen staining and culture. On examination 20 smears were found positive for AFB and 55 smears were negative by concentration method. A total of 23 samples were found to be culture positive and 52 were culture negative. Of these, 22 stains were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one was identified as M. Scrofulaceum. Of the 75 patients 3 were seropositive for HIV-I antibodies. Out of these 3, one was found to be smear and culture positive and was identified as M. scrofulaceum. Other two seropositive patients were smear and culture negative for AFB.