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Dengue is a common arthropod-borne life-threatening febrile illness. This disease affects liver functions with an imbalance of liver enzymes followed by other clinical manifestations. The dengue serotypes can cause asymptomatic infection to more severe versions of hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome in West Bengal and around the globe. The main aim of this study is to establish how different liver enzymes act in identifying markers for dengue prognosis for the early detection of severe dengue fever (DF). The diagnosis of dengue patients was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and associated clinical parameters [aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, total albumin, total protein, packed cell volume, and platelet count] were analyzed. Furthermore, the viral load estimation was also carried out by RT PCR analysis. The majority of these patients had elevated AST and ALT levels; ALT levels were higher than AST levels, which were partially observed in all non-structural protein 1 antigen- and dengue immunoglobulin M antibody-reactive patients. Almost 25% of patients had very low platelet count or thrombocytopenia. Furthermore, the viral load shows a significant association with all the clinical parameters with a p-value of <0.0001. All these liver enzymes are significantly correlated with an increased level of T.BIL, ALT, and AST. This study depicts that the intensity of hepatic involvement may play a critical role in the morbidity and mortality of DF patients. As a result, all of these liver parameters can be useful early markers for determining the severity of the disease, allowing for early detection of high-risk cases.

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Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a leading cause of encephalitis in India including West Bengal. There is continued occurrence of sporadic cases and small outbreaks in Bankura and Purulia districts of West Bengal. Recent published data regarding the incidence of JE in this part of West Bengal is not available. We analysed the Japanese B encephalitis (JE) seropositive cases from various rural, urban and semiurban areas of the said districts. AIM OF STUDYTo study the epidemiology of Japanese encephalitis in Bankura and Purulia district of West Bengal for the year 2014. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe study was done between January 2014 to December 2014. CSF and serum samples were collected from patients admitted with acute encephalitis syndrome from Paediatric and Medicine wards. The collected samples were analysed for JE specific IgM antibody by IgM antibody capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA) using kits from NIV (Pune). RESULTSDuring the study period, samples from 287 suspected patients were tested for JE out of which 29 (10%) were positive for IgM antibodies of which 16 (55%) were male and 13 (45%) were female. Of the 29 reactive cases, 13 (45%) were paediatric cases (<12 years) and 16 (55%) were adults. The number of seropositive cases referred from Bankura and Purulia were 13 (45%) and 16 (55%) respectively. The percentage of IgM positive JE was found to be high during the months of September and October. No death was reported in last year due to JE but 30% patients were discharged with sequelae. CONCLUSIONUnlike other studies, the number of seropositive JE was more in adult population than paediatric population. It may be due to vaccination in 1-15 years age group. The continued occurrence of sporadic cases and small outbreaks during the monsoons can be due to the increased vector burden in the paddy fields in this region of West Bengal. No death was reported which indicates an improvement in the management of JE cases over time.

ABSTRACT:A three day old baby delivered at B. S. Medical College Hospital, Bankura developed features of neonatal septicaemia two days after normal delivery. Patient's blood culture sample was processed in BacT/Alert 3D Automated blood culture system. Positive growth signal was obtained at 48 hrs. Subculture on solid non-selective and selective media, morphological studies including typical motilities and standard recommended bio-chemical tests revealed the isolate to be Listeria monocytogenes. Antibiogram studies further corroborated the identity of the isolate. This case report underlines the importance of Automated blood culture detection system in the identification of fastidious but clinically dangerous pathogens. This is most probably the first report of neonatal septicemia due to Listeria monocytogenes from eastern India. KEY WORDS: Listeria monocytogenes, Neonatal Septicemia, Automated Blood Culture System INTRODUCTION: Listeria monocytogenes is a relatively rare aerobic, gram positive nonsporing bacillus causing human infection most commonly in neonates. It can survive in a wide range of environmental conditions. The temperature tolerance of this bacteria ranges from 4 0 C to 37 0 C. It can withstand high salt concentration and low pH 1 . These properties indicate that they can overcome food preservation procedures and safety barriers, thus becoming an important and highly fatal food borne pathogen 2 . It has been found that 20-30% of clinical infections can result in death 3 . The first case of human listeriosis was reported in March, 1978 from South Africa 4 .