Hepatitis C virus and its genotypes in chronic liver disease patients from Meghalaya, Northeast India

Background and Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important cause of chronic liver disease (CLD). Although Northeast India is believed to be a HCV hotspot, the proportion of HCV infection and the distribution of HCV genotypes in CLD cases from the region are not known. The objectives of the study were to determine the proportion of HCV infection in newly diagnosed CLD patients from Meghalaya, Northeast India, and further investigate the HCV genotype distribution in those patients. Materials and Methods: The aetiology of CLD was evaluated in 196 newly diagnosed patients, recruited consecutively over a period of 1 year in a medical college hospital from Meghalaya. Those positive for HCV infection were genotyped, and the mode of transmission of the virus was investigated. Results: A considerable proportion (43 patients, 21.9%) of CLD patients were positive for HCV (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.7%–28.2%). Other leading causes of CLD were alcohol (36.32%) and hepatitis B virus infection (39.3%). Genotype 3 was the most prevalent (48.7%, 95% CI: 33.9%–63.8%), followed by genotype 6 (30.8%, 95% CI: 18.6%–46.6%) and genotype 1 (20.5%, 95% CI: 10.8%–35.5%). The frequency of genotype 6 was remarkably higher than in the other regions of India. Injecting drug use appeared to be the most common mode (28 patients) of acquiring HCV. This was true irrespective of the genotype. Conclusions: The presence of HCV in newly diagnosed CLD cases from Meghalaya was considerable. The genotype distribution of HCV was distinct from the other regions of India.

Noncatheter‑related bacteraemia due to Chryseobacterium indologenes in an immunocompetent patient.

Chryseobacterium indologenes belongs to a group of nonfermentative Gram‑negative bacilli and is an uncommon human pathogen. It causes severe infections such as septicaemia and ventilator‑associated pneumonia in immunocompromised patients or after prolonged hospitalisation. We report a case of a noncatheter‑related bacteraemia in a 22‑year‑old immunocompetent female whose blood culture showed the growth of C. indologenes, identified by Vitek GNI system (bioMerieux, France). The patient responded to treatment with ciprofloxacin. The pathogenicity and virulence factors of C. indologenes remain unclear. This case indicates that C. indologenes might cause symptomatic disease in immunocompetent persons with otherwise no associated underlying risk factors.

Subcutaneous dirofilariasis.

Subcutaneous Human Dirofi lariasis is an uncommon zoonotic infection caused by Dirofi lariarepens. The reports of this infection in humans in India are limited, although increasingly being reported worldwide. We report a case of Dirofi lariasis with subcutaneous presentation from the state of Meghalaya and to emphasize the importance of considering this entity in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with subcutaneous nodules.

Ophthalmomyiasis: Three cases from North India.

Three cases of external ophthalmomyiasis are reported here. The larvae were identified to be Oestrus ovis in two cases and Cochliomyia hominivorax in one. Two of the patients were immunocompetent while one was undergoing treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of eyelid. In the latter myiasis led to complete destruction of the eye.