Point Prevalence Study (PPS) of Antibiotic Usage and Bacterial Culture Rate (BCR) among Secondary Care Hospitals of Small Cities in Central India: Consolidating Indian Evidence.

Objective Indian hospitals (especially government-run public sector hospitals) have a nonexistent antimicrobial stewardship program (AMSP). After successfully initiating AMSPs in tertiary care hospitals of India, the Indian Council of Medical Research envisages implementing AMSP in secondary care hospitals. This study is about the baseline data on antibiotic consumption in secondary care hospitals. Materials and Methods It was a prospective longitudinal observational chart review type of study. Baseline data on antibiotic consumption was captured by a 24-hour point prevalence study of antibiotic usage and bacterial culture rate. The prescribed antibiotics were classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Access, Watch, and Reserve classification. All data were collated in Microsoft Excel and summarized as percentages. Results Out of the 864 patients surveyed, overall antibiotic usage was 78.9% (71.5% in low-priority areas vs. 92.2% in high-priority areas). Most of the antibiotic usage was empirical with an extremely low bacterial culture rate (21.9%). Out of the prescribed drugs, 53.1% were from the WHO watch category and 5.5% from the reserve category. Conclusion Even after 5 years of the launch of the national action plan on AMR (NAP-AMR) of India, AMSP is still non-existent in small- and medium-level hospitals in urban cities. The importance of trained microbiologists in the health care system is identified as a fulcrum in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR); however, their absence in government-run district hospitals is a matter of grave concern and needs to be addressed sooner than later.

The Profile of Use of Rituximab in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Central India.

Background: Rituximab, one of the most commonly used biologics, was once approved by the United States Food and Drug Association (US FDA) for the management of different systemic autoimmune disorders, and it is now used extensively in managing off-label indications. There is a scarcity of data regarding its utilization pattern in India. Objective: To assess rituximab usage pattern in two tertiary care hospitals of Central India. Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective study was performed to analyze the data of patients from two tertiary care centers of Central India who had received rituximab between 2019 and 2021. The usage was categorized either for FDA-approved indications or for off-label indications. Multiple logistic regression was applied to evaluate which factors would influence the use of rituximab for an FDA-approved indication. Results: A total of 79 medical records of patients. The majority of the patients (77.2%) had received rituximab for an FDA-approved indication. The most common approved and off-label indications detected were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and autoimmune disorders, respectively. The use of rituximab for an FDA-approved indication was associated with increased age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.99-1.1), male sex: AOR = 2.55, 95% CI = 0.74-9.93, malignancy: AOR = 9.39, 95% CI = 1.46-76.12, and diabetes: AOR = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.19-13.74. Conclusions: The use of rituximab was more common for an FDA-approved indication rather than for an off-label indication. Factors such as advancing age, male sex, and malignancy were frequently associated with the FDA-approved use of rituximab.

Kodameae ohmeri - An Emerging Yeast: Two Cases and Literature Review.

Kodameae ohmeri is an emerging pathogen in various types of infections. Most infections are seen in patients with compromised immunity like cancer patients. Few cases of neonatal infections due to K. ohmeri have been reported earlier in premature neonates with fatal outcomes. We report two cases of fungemia; the first case was a patient with hematological malignancy, who complained of fever spikes and grew K. ohmeri in blood despite prophylactic voriconazole therapy. The second case was in a mature neonate, who developed respiratory distress and features of sepsis two days after birth, multiple blood cultures were positive for K. ohmeri. Both the patients responded well to Amphotericin B. Repeat blood cultures were sterile and patients were discharged. K. ohmeri is an unusual and emerging fungal pathogen of late an increasing number of cases of fungemia, funguria, endocarditis, peritonitis and wound infections due to the same are being reported. Some occur in immunocompromised patients and some inapparently immunocompetent patients, neonates with an inclination for preterm babies. We report two case of fungemia, one with lymphoma and the second in a neonate.