Introduction Salmonella predominantly causes gastroenteritis but it can cause many other serious infections ranging from osteomyelitis to infective endocarditis and meningitis. These infections are not explored much even in a typhoid endemic country like India. Case Series We have described six uncommon cases of Salmonellosis obtained from clinical specimens processed in our laboratory (from December 2021- September 2022) like urine, pus, tissue and aspirate (excluding blood and stool). We obtained two isolates of Salmonella Enterica, two isolates of Salmonella Paratyphi B, one isolate of Salmonella Typhi and one isolate of Salmonella species which we were unable to speciate. Sending the proper sample for culture will help in coming to the right diagnosis which will result in prompt treatment thus improving the clinical status of the patient. Conclusion We should be vigilant about the possibility of Salmonella causing infections other than enteric fever especially in patients who have chronic diseases or are immunocompromised so that timely treatment with right antimicrobials can be given.

Salmonella Newport is a major cause of food-borne infection which occurs due to consumption of contaminated food items. Stool sample from a suspected case of enteric fever was received in the Central Microbiology Laboratory of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Southern India. The bacterial isolate was identified on the basis of Gram Staining, cultural characteristics and biochemical reactions as Salmonella species. Agglutination for serotyping was done and it was found to be agglutinable by only Polyvalent O antiserum. For further speciation, the isolate was sent to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, West Bengal, India and was identified as Salmonella enterica serotype Newport. The patient responded well to ciprofloxacin therapy. As the diagnosis of Non-Typhoidal Salmonellosis (NTS) is often challenging, patients with suspected Salmonella infections are usually given empirical antibiotic therapy which can cause an increase in drug resistant NTS.

Antibiotic-associated Clostridium difficile (CD) diarrhoea is one of the common causes of healthcare-acquired infection. Cephalosporins, piperacillin-tazobactam and aminoglycosides are the common antibiotics which have the maximum chances of producing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Most Asian countries have easy accessibility to many of these antibiotics without prescription. Broad spectrum antibiotics have been indiscriminately used as empirical therapy over the last two decades which has resulted in an increased risk of C. difficile infection. In India, the prevalence of CDI is highly underestimated. This study aims to understand the prevalence, risk factors and comorbidities associated with CD diarrhoea in a tertiary care hospital from western India. 196 patients were included in the study who were diagnosed with antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) clinically. Stool samples collected were processed for anaerobic culture of C. difficile and immunochromatography test was done to detect C. difficile toxins A and B. The comorbidities associated as well as the use of antibiotics like cephalosporin or proton pump inhibitors were also noted for the patients with CDI. 32 samples yielded CD (16%), out of which toxin production was detected only in 16 isolates. The prevalence rate of CDI in our hospital was 5%. Most of the patients had history of chronic illnesses like diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, ischemic heart disease, systemic hypertension, autoimmune diseases, or malignancy. Avoiding empirical therapy with antibiotics prone to cause AAD, Antimicrobial stewardship programme with proper infection control practices and epidemiological surveillance of CDI will help to reduce the burden of CDI in our country.

Ochrobactrum anthropi is an organism which is commonly distributed in the environment and water sources including normal saline, antiseptic solutions, and dialysis fluid. However, it is an opportunistic pathogen, especially in critically ill or immunocompromised patients. The presence of central venous catheter line is a risk factor. Here, we report two cases of bacteremia caused by O. anthropi in patients undergoing chemotherapy.