Surveillance of bacteriological quality of natural water resources in rural areas around Kasauli Town, Distt. Solan, Himachal Pradesh.

A study was conducted to find out the bacteriological quality of water during the monsoon season in local areas around Kasauli Town, and to evaluate the management of water resources in rural areas. The water samples were collected from bowries and hand pumps. As there is no municipal water supply in majority of these areas, the local residents depends mainly on these natural resources without any treatment of water. All the 14 surface water samples collected from bowries were found bacteriologically polluted with total coliform count ranging from 35-1800+. The main contaminants isolated were atypical thermotolerant E. coli, Pseudomonas fluorescence, Enterobacter cloacae, Aeromonas liquifaciens, Citrobacter freundii and Pseudomonas pseudomaleii. Among seven hand pump samples, two were found to have Coliform count 80 and 250 respectively. These two water samples were found contaminated with Citrobacter freundii and E. coli &Aeromonas liquefaciens respectively. These bacteriological contaminations appear to be both from vegetative & human or animal excreta sources. The study therefore suggested that the water from these natural resources requires treatment either by boiling or chlorination before human consumption to avoid any outbreak.

Eustachian tube functions in lepromatous leprosy: a tympanometric study.

Tympanometry was performed in 20 patients with lepromatous leprosy. About 30% showed tympanogram B type indicating middle ear pathology which was shown to be related to the stage of lepromatous rhinitis. The pathogenesis of middle ear malfunction in lepromatous leprosy is discussed.

Leprosy of the tongue.

Ten out of the twenty-five lepromatous leprosy patients studied showed clinical evidence of involvement of the tongue, and they presented with various symptoms like loss of taste, stiffness of tongue, bleeding, pain etc. Various types of lesions ranging from small nodule to granuloma formation, ulceration, macroglossia and fissured cracked tongue were noted. The tongue lesions were found to be related to the severity of leprosy.

Verocytopathic activity of Escherichia coli O157 & other 'O' serogroups isolated from patients of diarrhoea.

Twenty diarrhoeal isolates identified as Esch. coli O157 were screened for cytopathic activity on the continuous Vero cell line. Of these, seven strains (35%) showed cytopathic effect which was maximum on the 4th day after inoculation, with a maximum titre of 1 in 128. The total loss of cytopathic activity was observed in the positive filtrates subjected to a temperature of 100 degrees C for 15 min, while heating at 65 degrees C for 15 min, resulted in partial loss of this activity. All the verocytopathic strains were obtained from infants and children and were devoid of heat labile (LT) and heat stable (ST) toxins as well as enteroinvasive property.

Epistaxis and leprosy.

Forty-four leprosy patients with epistaxis were analysed. Aetiopathogenesis of epistaxis in leprosy is discussed in the light of available literature. It has been suggested that epistaxis is more frequent and severe in leprosy patients and more liable to have complications. Epistaxis in leprosy with nasal lesions may alarm the physician that patient has some systemic disorder.

Gustatory rhinorrhoea syndrome: result of misreinnervation in leprosy.

A case of excessive rhinorrhoea in response to taste stimulus, due to misdirection of regenerating nerve fibres following recovery of facial nerve in leprosy is described under title of "Gustatory Rhinorrhoea Syndrome". The pathophysiology of such conditions are discussed in the light of available literature.

Radiological study of the paranasal sinuses in lepromatous leprosy.

Thirty patients of lepromatous leprosy have been studied by radiological investigation for affection of paranasal sinuses. It has been found that leprosy involves all groups of sinuses and maxillary antrum is found to be more commonly affected. Diffuse hypertrophy type of lesion is more commonly recorded in maxillary antrum, in x-ray of paranasal sinuses. The clinical significance and importance of extension of disease in the sinuses is discussed in the light of available literature.