Experiment to Demonstrate Pesticide-Induced Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): An Emerging Health Threat.

Background Pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, are essential for global food production, boosting crop yields, and preventing disease transmission. However, their excessive and improper use raises concerns about potential long-term consequences, affecting microbial ecosystems and fostering antimicrobial resistance. Materials and methods The objective of the study was to identify the effect of the pesticide compound (Imidacloprid 17.1% w/w) on the ATCC Escherichia coli. An experiment was conducted on ATCC Escherichia coli 27852. A 0.5 McFarland suspension of the strain was incubated in the presence of a pesticide compound (Imidacloprid 17.1% w/w) at a dilution of 1:4, 1:8, and 1:16. at 370C. Antibiotic susceptibility for cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, amikacin, and imipenem was determined via the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test at intervals of 24 hours, 48 hours, seven days, and 21 days. The results were then compared to the standard zone of inhibition diameter for ATCC Escherichia coli 27852 by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results No bacterial growth was detected at pesticide dilutions of 1:1 and 1:2, indicating their inability to tolerate high pesticide concentrations. However, growth became evident at a 1:4 dilution and beyond, with mutants thriving within the inhibition zone. The experiment caused significant alterations in the inhibition zone sizes for all antibiotics, especially notable with imipenem, amikacin, and ceftazidime compared to the initial zone size for ATCC Escherichia coli 27852. Conclusion Our study concludes that the pesticide (Imidacloprid 17.1% w/w) significantly influences antibiotic resistance, especially with carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and cephalosporins in the tested groups at various concentrations and durations of exposure.

Microbial Spectrum of Keratitis at a Rural Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Microbial keratitis poses a significant threat to vision and is a common ocular infection. Its causative agents encompass a wide spectrum, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. The microbiological profile of microbial keratitis is influenced by factors such as patient demographics, geographical location, climate, and occupational hazards and evolves over time. METHODOLOGY: Corneal scrapings were collected from 75 patients with a provisional diagnosis of microbial keratitis. The samples were processed in the microbiology laboratory, and the bacterial and fungal growth isolated in the study were identified according to standard procedures. RESULTS: Among the 75 patients, 48 (64%) were male and 27 (36%) were female. Corneal ulceration was found in individuals of all age groups, with the highest prevalence of 77.33% (58/75) observed in the 21-60 age range. Farmers exhibited a higher susceptibility, constituting 66.67% (50/75) of the cases. The study noted a higher occurrence of keratitis from November to February, accounting for 69.33% (52/75). Microbial etiology was identified in 25.33% (19/75) of scrapings, with fungi accounting for 68.42% (13/19) and bacteria for 31.57% (6/19). The prevalent fungal species included Fusarium (7/13, 53.84%), Aspergillus (3/13, 23.07%), Colletotrichum (2/13, 15.38%), and Curvularia â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹(1/13, 7.69%). Bacterial isolates featured Streptococcus pneumoniae (5/6, 83.33%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (1/6, 16.66%). CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the importance of regularly updating local microbial profiles and understanding antimicrobial resistance patterns. Such updates are critical for informed decision-making in selecting optimal topical treatments for microbial keratitis.

A Prospective Comparative Study of Pre-debridement and Post-debridement Cultures in Open Fractures of the Extremities.

Introduction Amputations and recurrent infections are two terrible outcomes of open fractures that can leave patients with permanent impairments. Rapid and effective treatment can protect patients from open fracture sequelae and the long-term financial burden these injuries frequently cause. Over 50% of open fractures are caused by high energy trauma, which most frequently happens in car accidents or severe falls. There hasn't been much research done on the first bacterial ecology of open fracture wounds in the Indian environment. Therefore, the need of the current assignment was to assess the effectiveness of pre-debridement and post-debridement culture in open fractures of the extremities. Methodology A prospective comparative study was carried out with 65 patients who were hospitalized from the OPD and Emergency departments at the R. L. Jalappa Hospital and Research Center. The time frame of study was between December 2020 and July 2022. Prior to the trial, each participant's written informed consent was obtained and strict protocol was followed in accordance with the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results Among the study participants, the majority of cases (26.15%) belonged to the 21-30 years of age group. A total of 14 participants belonged to the 41-50 years of age group. Out of the total, nine patients were aged less than 20 years. Out of the total, in pre-debridement culture the majority of cases had presence of growth of Staphylococcus aureus followed by Acinetobacter species, Enterobacter species and Pseudomonas species. Only six patients had growth of Klebsiella species. After debridement and treatment for bacterial infection, on subsequent culture examination, no growth was found among 61 patients. Although in four patients, there was presence of Pseudomonas species, Enterobacter species and Proteus microorganisms. Conclusion Although the validity of sequential cultures has been questioned in a number of investigations, this study has demonstrated that debridement cultures have a significant impact in postoperative infection. Debridement culture is therefore advised to offer information about the selection of antimicrobial medication, which when paired with a complete wound debridement will permit an early wound closure and better overall outcome functionally.

Microbial Profile of Tourniquets Used in Phlebotomy at a Rural Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital.

Background Reusable phlebotomy tourniquets may become contaminated through repeated use on the skin surfaces of multiple patients, the hands of healthcare workers, or various surfaces. Noncompliance with the protocol guidelines for managing tourniquets can contribute to the cross-transmission of microorganisms among patients. This study was conducted to determine the microbial flora and antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of reusable phlebotomy tourniquets. Methodology Tourniquets were randomly sampled across the different areas of the hospital and were transported to the microbiology laboratory for isolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing of microorganisms using standard microbiological techniques. Results The overall bacterial colonization rate of the 50 tourniquets was 80%. The most prevalent isolate on tourniquets was Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (9, 22.54%), followed by Micrococcus (6, 15%), Staphylococcus aureus (5, 12.5%), diphtheroid (5, 12.5%), Acinetobacter (4, 10%) Enterococcus (3, 7.5%), Pseudomonas (3, 7.5%), Bacillus (3, 7.5%), and Escherichia coli (2, 5%). Conclusions Regular surveillance and disinfection of reusable tourniquets in resource-poor settings are recommended to decrease healthcare infections and the transmission of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains.

Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay plasma p16INK4a protein in squamous cell carcinoma in uterine cervix: A case-control study.

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the common cancers in females. The common method of screening is Pap test which has low sensitivity. Hence, better methods are explored with different biomarkers, of which estimation of P16 protein can be opted in early detection of cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Seventy cases and seventy controls were considered for the study. Cases were invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of cervix confirmed by histopathology. Controls were healthy age-matched females. The blood sample of cases and controls was collected in K2 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid vacutainer, and the separated plasma was subjected to estimation of P16 protein by quantitative sandwich Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay method. The data were analyzed for the association between p16 protein in plasma in cases and controls. Results: The age among cases and controls ranged from 30 to 80 years. The P16 levels among cases ranged from 3.4 to 19.6 ng/ml with a mean of 7.24 ± 2.35 ng/ml. The plasma P16 level in controls ranged between 0.9 and 9.7 ng/ml with mean of 4.1 ± 2.22 ng/ml. At cutoff more than 4.8 ng/ml in cases, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 92.86%, 72.86%, 77.4%, 91.1%, and 82.86%, respectively. The specificity increased with increase in plasma p16 levels. The P16 levels were maximum in stage IV disease. Conclusion: This was a pilot study to detect the plasma p16INK4a levels in SCC of cervix. The levels of plasma p16 protein between 3.9 and 5 ng/ml can be considered as the range for the test to be positive. In clinically suspected cases of cervical cancer, levels more than 4.8 ng/ml can be considered for the diagnosis as point of care test.

Discriminant value of automated leucocyte VCS parameters in the detection of tropical infections.

INTRODUCTION: In India, infectious diseases are a leading treatable cause of morbidity and mortality. Mangalore being endemic to many vector-borne diseases, their incidence is known to show seasonal variations with sharp increase during monsoon. Leucocytes have substantial role in the immunological pathogenesis of infections. METHODS: The present series was a hospital-based cross-sectional study performed in a tertiary care hospital for a period of three months from June-August wherein the cell population data of cases of malaria, dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid and rickettsial infections along with equal number of healthy controls were collected and analysed. Effectiveness of leucocyte-related volume (V), conductivity (C) and scatter (S) parameters by Coulter®DXH800 haematology analyser in predicting these infections was appraised. RESULTS: A total of 324 cases comprising of malaria (50%), dengue (30.9%), leptospirosis (13.9%), typhoid (4.0%) and rickettsial infections (1.2%) were included. There was statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in the mean values of complete blood count parameters-haemoglobin, total leucocyte count, red blood cell count, haematocrit, red cell distribution width, differential leucocyte count, platelet count and plateletcrit between cases and controls and also between specific infections. The mean volumes of neutrophil, monocyte and lymphocyte were considerably increased in malaria and dengue fever compared to leptospirosis, typhoid and rickettsial infections. VCS parameters were the least altered in typhoid fever, except for a strikingly high conductivity and scatter of eosinophils. CONCLUSIONS: Haematological analysis is a part of routine evaluation of any case of febrile illness. This study showed that there are specific alterations in VCS parameters in different types of infections such as malaria, dengue, leptospira, typhoid and rickettsia, the information and analysis of which comes without any additional cost.

A systemic review on tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB), which is caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, is one of the oldest diseases known to affect humans and a major cause of death worldwide. Tuberculosis continues to be a huge peril disease against the human population and according to WHO, tuberculosis is a major killer of the human population after HIV/AIDS. Tuberculosis is highly prevalent among the low socioeconomic section of the population and marginalized sections of the community. In India, National strategic plan (2017-2025) has a national goal of elimination of tuberculosis by 2025. It requires increased awareness and understanding of Tuberculosis. In this review article history, taxonomy, epidemiology, histology, immunology, pathogenesis and clinical features of both pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) has been discussed. A great length of detailed information regarding diagnostic modalities has been explained along with diagnostic algorithm for PTB and EPTB. Treatment regimen for sensitive, drug resistant and extensive drug resistant tuberculosis has been summarized along with newer drugs recommended for multi drug resistant tuberculosis. This review article has been written after extensive literature study in view of better understanding and to increase awareness regarding tuberculosis, as a sincere effort that will help eliminate tuberculosis off the face of the earth in near future.

Cerebral phaeohyphomycosis caused by Scytalidium dimidiatum: a case report from India.

We report a case of cerebral phaeohyphomycosis caused by Scytalidium dimidiatum (synanamorph Nattrassia mangiferae) in a young, apparently immunocompetent Indian male. Etiological diagnosis was made by recovery of the fungus in culture and histopathological examination. The infection proved fatal despite aggressive antifungal therapy.

Enzyme kinetics, substitutable resources and competition: from biochemistry to frequency-dependent selection in lac.

Trade-offs in catalytic efficiency at the lac permease of Escherichia coli produce alleles with different substrate specializations that are selectively favored on different galactosides. We show that differential resource utilization during competition for mixtures of galactosides produces frequency-dependent selection at lac. However, the polymorphism is protected only in a narrow range of galactoside ratios despite intense selection on the pure galactosides. Hence, stabilizing frequency-dependent selection protecting natural allozyme polymorphisms through differential resource utilization will be sporadic and ephemeral in randomly changing environments. A comparison of predictions, based on first principles, with experimental outcomes reveals an additional, unanticipated source of weak selection.