ABSTRACT
Background: Achromobacter spp. is a rare nosocomial pathogen known to cause many serious infections like bloodstream infection, osteomyelitis, meningitis, urinary tract infections, corneal ulceration, peritonitis, and endocarditis. Materials and Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed all the bacteriological sample records from the bacteriology database from January 2021 to December 2021 to determine the prevalence of Achromobacter spp. Result: Nine patients with Achromobacter xylosoxidans causing bacterial infection were identified, from whom five blood samples, two pus, one respiratory sample, one central venous pressure (CVP), and one cerebrospinal fluid were found positive for Achromobacter spp., among whom one was a 6-year-old patient having the same organism from two different body sites—CVP line and cerebrospinal fluid. Five patients had coinfection with another organism, whereas acute kidney injury was the most common comorbidity. Conclusion: In our single-center experience, approximately 50% of the cases with Achromobacter denitrificans bacteremia suffered from chronic kidney disease and had a history of antibiotic therapy, hospitalization, and the presence of devices. Active research on rising trends of Achromobacter spp. needs to be promoted.
ABSTRACT
The micronuclei assay (MA) in exfoliated buccal cells is an innovative technique which holds promise for the screening of epithelial carcinogens/mutagens. Micronucleus is the small nucleus that forms whenever a chromosome or a fragment of a chromosome is not incorporated into one of the daughter nuclei during cell division. The micronucleus is thought to be an indicator of DNA damage consequent to possible carcinogen exposure. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells of smokers and non–smokers and to correlate the mean micronuclei with period of smoking. Buccal smears obtained from 68 age matched male subjects (40 smokers, 28 non–smokers) were included in the study. Papanicoloau stained smears were screened for micronuclei as per Tolbert et al criteria, with 1000 cells being examined in both categories. Results showed a statistically significant difference in the mean micronuclei count in buccal cells of smokers as compared to non smokers. Micronucleus assay can be used as a simple bio–marker for screening of pre–malignant changes in cells.