Background: Meningitis is an infl ammatory affection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which occurs as either a primary disease or secondarily to disease in some other part of the body. The epidemiological trend of acute meningitis varies with time and geography. Objective: To isolate the various agents of acute meningitis in all age group patients and to know the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates. Materials and Mathods: In this prospective study, a total of 316 cerebrospinal fl uid (CSF) specimens were collected from patients showing signs and symptoms of acute meningitis and processed by standard microbiological methods in a tertiary care hospital in Guwahati, Assam over a period of one year, from August 2009 to July 2010. Results: Out of 316 CSF samples, bacterial and fungal culture positivity rate was found to be 16.13%. The most common bacterial isolate was Staphylococcus aureus, 29.41%. Isolation rate of Cryptococcus neoformans was 8%. All the Gram positive isolates were 100% sensitive to linezolid and vancomycin, whereas Gram negative isolates were 92% sensitive to polymyxin B. Conclusion: This study gives an idea about the changing trend of acute meningitis along with the changing in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the bacterial isolates, which can help the clinicians to formulate the initial empiric therapy for patients of acute meningitis. Bhagawati, et al.: Isolates of acute meningitis Abstract

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Background & objectives: Although cholera remains to be an important public health problem, studies on reliable population-based estimates of laboratory confirmed cholera in endemic areas are limited worldwide. The aim of this hospital-based study was to evaluate the prevalence of Vibrio cholerae serogroup in Assam, India, during 2003-2013. Methods: Stool samples/rectal swabs were collected from acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) cases during 2003-2013 and processed by standard microbiological procedures. Antibiotic sensitivity test was done following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Year-wise epidemiological trend of cholera was analyzed. Results: Cholera contributed to 3.93 per cent of AWD cases. In Assam, cholera was found to be more prevalent in the rural areas (6.7%) followed by the tea gardens (5.06%), urban slum (1.9%) and urban areas (1.4%). Highest proportion of cholera (13.7%) was observed in 0-10 yr age group. Of them, 11.5 per cent belonged to 0-5 yr age group. V. cholerae O1 El Tor serotype Ogawa was the predominant isolate. Multiple drug-resistant isolates of V. cholerae O1 Ogawa were reported in the study. Interpretation & conclusions: Emergence of resistance amongst V. cholerae towards many antibiotics is a matter of concern. Hence, continuous surveillance for diarrhoeal disorders is necessary to control the future outbreaks of cholera in this region.