The prevalence of infectious disease markers was similar to that reported by other studies. However, no significant difference was seen in the marker positivity in voluntary and replacement donors, which is at variance from other studies.

The intentional release or threat of release of biologic agents (i.e. viruses, bacteria, fungi or their toxins) in order to cause disease or death among human population or food crops and livestock to terrorize a civilian population or manipulate the government in the present scenario of increased terrorist activity has become a real possibility. The most important step in the event of a bioterrorist attack is the identification of the event. This can be achieved by generating awareness, having high degree of suspicion and having a good surveillance system to assist quick detection. Bioterrorist attacks could be covert or announced and caused by virtually any pathogenic microorganism. Bioterrorist agents of major concern have been categorized as A, B and C based on the priority of the agents to pose a risk to the national security and the ease with which they can be disseminated. The five phases of activities in dealing with a bioterrorist attack are preparedness phase, early warning phase, notification phase, response phase and recovery phase. A bioterrorism attack in a public place is a public health emergency. Early detection and rapid investigation is the key to contain such attacks. The role of public health epidemiologist is critical not only in determining the scope and magnitude of the attack but also in effective implementation of interventions. MJAFI 2010; 66 : 255-260

Out of the 27 cases of seropositive dengue there was one death due to dengue shock syndrome. Thrombocytopenia may not always be a feature of dengue.

Balantidium coli is the only ciliated protozoan which is known to infect human and nonhuman primates. Route of infection is faecal-oral route. It is actively motile and causes mostly asymptomatic infections, or it may develop dysentery which is similar to that which is caused by Entamoeba histolytica. Here, we are describing a case of an accidental finding of B.coli in the urine of a patient who presented with acute renal failure, based on its characteristic morphology and motility which were seen on light microscopy. This is the third case of Urinary Balantidiosis which has been reported from India.

Introduction: Dengue virus infection presents with a diverse clinical picture ranging from asymptomatic illness to Dengue fever to dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome. Because of its varied clinical presentation, accurate diagnosis is difficult and relies largely on laboratory confirmation. We therefore designed a prospective study to ascertain the role of biomarkers in cases of serologically confirmed primary and secondary dengue infections. Material & Methods: A total of 2165 patients presenting to the hospital with acute febrile illness were serologically confirmed to be suffering from dengue infection. Hematological examinationand Liver function test were carried out for all these cases. Results: A total of 1942 (89.69%) patients were classified as having primary dengue infection and only 182(8.4%) were classified as having secondary dengue infection out of the total seropositive cases (2165).13.16% of these patients had platelet count below 50,000/mm 3. Majority of the patients showed deranged hepatic function. Amongst the hepatic biomarkers AST and GGT were found to be significantly deranged as compared to other parameters.Also it was found that Alkaline phosphatase levels &platelet count may serve as early predictors for the differentiation of primary and secondary dengue infection.Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of biochemical markers in distinguishing dengue from other febrile illness and their role in differentiating primary and secondary dengue cases. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...