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SUMMARY Background and objectives Early onset sepsis (EOS) in neonates is a scourge that contributes to morbidity and mortality. Prominent stakeholders recommend universal screening of antenatal women for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for those who are carriers. However, there are controversies. Other guidelines allow region-specific protocols due to sociodemographic, geographical and ethnic differences. We planned to analyze the prevalence of GBS rectovaginal carriage at 36–37 weeks gestation and its effect on early neonatal status. Methods This prospective multidisciplinary study (Obstetrics, Perinatology, Neonatology, Microbiology and Infectious diseases) was conducted in our tertiary care center between February 2020 and May 2021. Results In our study group which included 966 mothers who delivered at the hospital, 4.8% of mothers who were screened by genito-rectal swabs were positive for GBS at 36–37 weeks gestation. All these mothers were given IAP as per protocol. Other organisms detected on screening mothers were Candida and Gram-negative bacteria. None of the neonates born to these mothers required any intensive care unit admission or therapy for systemic illness. There was no difference in clinically relevant outcomes between neonates who were born to GBS-positive mothers as compared to those born to negative screen result mothers. Conclusions GBS prevalence in our cohort was lower than most scientific reports. The neonates born to carrier mothers did not present with signs of early-onset sepsis.

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Nosocomial outbreaks related to medication contamination are reported world-wide. A sudden increase in cases of Achromobacter spp. bacteremia led to an outbreak investigation in our setting. Line listing and environmental sampling led to identification of contaminated furosemide ampoules as the source. Molecular identification helped in species identification and in SUMMARYthis outbreak more than one species was identified. Prompt withdrawal of the contaminated batch of ampoules curtailed the outbreak.

The SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern, Delta (B.1.617.2) was first reported in December 2020 in India and has spread colossally throughout the globe. Owing to factors like increased transmissibility, immune escape, and virulence, the delta variant has been considered as a potential public health threat apart from other variants of concern like alpha, beta and gamma. Kerala was one of the first states in India to enroll in the systematic genomic surveillance. In the present report, vaccine breakthrough infections were followed up in 147 patients including 55 healthcare workers who had been vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCoV- 19/BBV152 across eleven districts from the state of Kerala. The timeline of samples analysed were from April 2021 till June 2021. Severity of the infections reported in the enrolled patients found to be mildly symptomatic, majorly with only 0.7% (n=1) of the cohort to be asymptomatic. Genomic analysis of the samples revealed the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) to constitute about 81.6% (n=120) in the studied cohort. This was followed by the Kappa variant B.1.617.1 (8.35%, n=9), AY.1 (0.6%, n= 1), AY.12 (0.6%, n= 1), AY.4 (1.2%, n= 2), AY.9 (1.2%, n= 2) and Eta variant, B.1.525 (0.6%, n= 1). 11 samples were not assigned any lineage. Evidence from this study suggests the preponderance of the Delta variant in the samples analysed.