No abstract

Dermatophytoses are a group of superficial fungal infections of keratinized tissues. Though they do not cause mortality they cause morbidity and pose a major public health problem especially in tropical countries like India. The present study is done to know the prevalence of dermatophytes and to identify the causative agents in Hyderabad area. A total of 180 samples were collected for a period of 1 year from infected skin, hair, and nails. Samples were collected under aseptic conditions and were then subjected to direct microscopy by KOH mount and culture on SDA. Dermatophytes were seen more in males (126/180). Direct microscopy by KOH mount revealed presence of fungal elements in (144/180) of samples. T.mentagrophytes was the most predominant isolate followed by T.rubrum and T.violaceum. Dermatophytic infections are worldwide in distribution with superficial mycoses being more prevalent in India where heat and moisture play an important role. Dermatophytosis has been reported throughout the year in the present study locality and an increase in prevalence of certain species was found.

Helicobacter pylori is main causative agent of acute gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. In certain population, this infection leads to gastric cancers viz., adenocarcinoma, and mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. The objective of this study was to comparatively evaluate invasive (RUT) and non-invasive (IgM and IgG ELISA) methods for detection of H. pylori infection among patients visiting a tertiary care hospital. A total of 285 dyspeptic patients undergoing endoscopic examination were included in this study. From each patient one biopsy specimen and serum samples were collected. Biopsy specimen was subjected to RUT and IgM & IgG ELISA tests were performed using serum samples. H. pylori was detected in 127 (44.6%) and 126 (44.2%) cases by RUT and IgM ELISA, respectively. H. pylori were detected in 85 (29.8%) samples by IgG ELISA. Based on the combination of RUT and IgM ELISA test, total 128 (44.9%) patients were positive for H. pylori infection. Most of the positive cases belonged to 21-40 years age group (60 of 128) followed by 41-60 years age group (31 0f 128). All the three diagnostic methods viz., RUT, IgM ELISA and IgG ELISA used in this study showed a greater prevalence of H. pylori infection in female gender compared to male gender. In this study, sensitivity of both RUT and IgM ELISA was similar across different age groups and gender. The advantage of IgM ELISA over RUT is that it does not require endoscopy. Therefore, IgM ELISA could be considered as safe and an alternative method for detection of this pathogen.

Introduction: Urinary Tract infection (UTI's) is the most commonly encountered infectious disease, affecting both the sexes in all age groups. This leads to consumption of large number of antibiotics and development of resistant strains leading to complications. Objective: The study was carried out to know the distribution pattern and to evaluate the sensitivity of ESBL producing urinary isolates from patients with UTI. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at Owaisi Hospital and Research Centre for 6months. A total of 392 samples were obtained from suspected UTI patients. Clean catch mid stream urine samples obtained were subjected to microscopy, culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing as per CLSI guidelines. Results: From the total of 392 samples, 200 samples i.e. 51% samples were culture positive. Among the culture positive cases, 69% were females, 35% were males. 38.8% of Esch.coli and 25% Klebsiella were predominant ESBL producers. Conclusion:This study revealed that majority of Gram negative urinary isolates are ESBL producers, and multidrug resistant. Thus strict policy with guidelines for antibiotic susceptibility testing and prescription should be followed to prevent further emergence of resistant strains and treatment failure.