Prevalence of adhesive genes among uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infection in Mangalore.

The study was carried out to detect the adhesive genes pap (pyelonephritis associated pili), sfa (S fimbrial adhesin) and afa (afimbrial adhesin) from Escherichia coli strains isolated in patients diagnosed with urinary tract infection (UTI). A total of 23% of the isolates were positive for pap, sfa and afa genes with a prevalence of 60.87% (14/23), 39.1% (9/23) and 39.1% (9/23), respectively. Prevalence of multiple adhesive genes was 8.7% (2/23) for pap and afa, 30.43% (7/23) for pap and sfa. Significant numbers of isolates were positive for Congo red binding (80%) and haemolysin production 60%. The prevalence of multiple adhesive genes indicate the potential to adhere and subsequently cause a systemic infection among UTI patients.

Incidence of poisoning deaths in and around Belgaum, Karnataka: A retrospective autopsy survey.

A five-year retrospective study was undertaken to ascertain the incidence of poisoning deaths in and around Belgaum district of Karnataka state, which were autopsied at KLE's Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Research Centre, Belgaum, a referral hospital catering to the needs of the general public within a radius of 100 km. Out of 600 autopsies conducted, 150 were deaths due to poisoning. The commonest age group of affected victims was 21 to 30 years. Males outnumbered females in a ratio of 2.2:1. The most commonly used poison was an organophosphorus compound. Most victims died within 1 to 6 hours of admission to the hospital. Most of the cases were suicidal in nature.

Food poisoning due to Salmonella enterica serotype Weltevreden in Mangalore.

An outbreak of food poisoning due to Salmonella enterica serotype Weltevreden ( S.weltevreden ) involving 34 students has been reported from a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore. The symptoms developed 8-10 hours, after consuming a non- vegetarian dish, probably fish, from an outside caterer. The identity of the organism was confirmed at Central Research Institute, Kasauli. This report emphasizes the geographical distribution of this organism in the Coastal Karnataka region. S.Weltevreden may be overlooked due to the biochemical similarity to S. Paratyphi B & S. Typhimurium.

Mysterious death in a bathroom: Case report.

A young, married Muslim female was brought dead to casualty with a history of being found unconscious in the bathroom. The information furnished by the police and interaction with the relatives revealed that the deceased had been in good health prior to the incident which the suspicion of foul play. Meticulous autopsy ruled out natural disease and trauma. Findings were however highly suggestive of asphyxia without any demonstrable external or internal cause for the same. The case was finally solved by taking into consideration various causes for bathroom deaths, and ruling out each one by one. At the end, it was concluded that the cause of asphyxia was inhalation of vitiated air, associated with inadequate ventilation.

Proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD).

A 1-year-old child with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD) is presented. The clinical spectrum and associated abnormalities is described and the diagnosis and management of this entity is discussed.

Systemic lupus erythematosus and sickle cell disease.

A case of 10-year-old girl with an unusual association of sickle cell disease (SCD) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is presented. The report discusses the clues to the diagnosis of this rare combination with review of relevant literature and highlights the diagnostic dilemma that may arise because of the similarity of symptoms.