Objective:Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ranks top among the nosocomial pathogens. Nasal formulation of mupirocin is found to eradicate MRSA from colonized individuals, but the emergence of resistant strains is a matter of concern.Methods:Nasal swabs were collected from 200 health care workers (HCWs) who were screened for MRSA. Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method was used to perform antibiotic susceptibility test. MRSA detection was done using a cefoxitin 30 µg disc and interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Determination of mupirocin resistance was performed using Epsilometer test (E-test).Findings:About 14% of HCWs showed nasal carriage of MRSA. Nursing orderlies were the predominant carriers. E-test showed four mupirocin resistant isolates. The antibiogram of the MRSA isolates revealed the higher resistance to antibiotics as compared to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. All the MRSA isolates were sensitive to linezolid.Conclusion:HCWs in our hospital showed high nasal carriage rate of MRSA, particularly the nursing orderlies which is statistically significant. It is advisable to detect mupirocin resistance among the isolates obtained from the HCWs so that in case of resistance, alternative treatment should be sought.

Background:The knowledge of the current prevalence of lymphatic filariasis and its transmission will be helpful in its elimination. Thus, the present study is aimed to determine its prevalence among hydrocele patients which is a common presentation in chronically infected cases.Materials and Methods:One hundred patients suffering from hydrocele admitted to the surgical ward were included in the study. Blood samples were collected from the patients during the day hours for the detection of anti-filarial antibody and during night hours to detect the presence of microfilaria by smear examination. Blood samples were also collected from the family member attending the ward along with the patients to determine the presence of anti-filarial antibodies. Serum IgE level and eosinophil count were also determined in the patients showing a positive result for the anti-filarial antibody test.Results:Out of 100 hydrocele patients, 21% patients showed anti-filarial antibody card test positive with maximum patients belonging to age group of 20–40 years. Microfilaria was detected in 5% of the hydrocele patients, whereas none of the family members showed positive anti-filarial antibody test. Serum IgE level and eosinophil count were more than 1000 ng/ml and 500/mm3, respectively.Conclusions:The study has found a high prevalence of filariasis among hydrocele patients. It is suggested that more studies are needed to know the real time prevalence of the cases showing manifestations of the filariasis in the acute stage which will help the eradication program to formulate new strategies.

Introduction:The study aimed to determine the prevalence of nasal colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of oxacillin and vancomycin, inducible clindamycin resistance, and antimicrobial resistance pattern of S. aureus among children of Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India.Materials and Methods:School-going children of age group of 5–15 years were identified and selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two nasal swabs were collected from each child as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and transported to laboratory. Swabs were cultured on mannitol salt agar and 5% blood agar and incubated for 18–24 h at 37°C. Identification was done as per routine laboratory protocol. Detection of MRSA was done through cefoxitin 30 μg discs and D-zone test. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of S. aureus by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method along with MIC for oxacillin and vancomycin was performed simultaneously according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.Results:Out of 300 children, 140 (46.67%) were found to be nasal carriage for S. aureus, among which MRSA was found to be 23 (7.67%). All S. aureus and MRSA isolates were sensitive to vancomycin with MIC <2 μg/ml, whereas 23 S. aureus were found resistant to oxacillin with MIC value >4 μg/ml. Resistance to penicillin and co-trimoxazole was highest, whereas all were sensitive to linezolid. MRSA showed 100% susceptibility to linezolid, followed by gentamicin (91.4%) and tetracycline (87%).Conclusion:With the risk involved in transmission of infection, steps for identifying the carriers and its eradication should be carried out. Rational use of antibiotics should be given preference too.

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