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Chromogenic media are frequently used in direct and rapid identification of yeasts because different Candida species produce unique colors on these media. We used 60 isolates of Candida species including 30 C. albicans, 10 C. parapsilosis, 11 C. glabrata, five C. tropicalis, and four C. dubliniensis, isolated from various clinical specimens, to evaluate the performance of HiChrome Candida agar. These strains had been identified by germ tube test, morphology on cornmeal agar, chlamydospore formation on tobacco agar and sugar assimilation tests. The sensitivity and specificity results were: C. albicans (96.55 and 96.42%); C. parapsilosis (80 and 98.03%), C. glabrata (90.90 and 88.23%), C. tropicalis (100 and 100%) and C. dubliniensis (60 and 96.55%) respectively. HiChrom Candida agaris medium has been useful and capable of presumptive, rapid identification of Candida species within 48 hours.

Saksenaea vasiformis is an emerging zygomycete species, most often associated with cutaneous, subcutaneous and rhino- orbito-cerebral infections. Herein, we report a case of cutaneous zygomycosis of face caused by Saksenaea vasiformis in a 54-year-old immunocompetent female. The diagnosis was carried out by microscopy using KOH mount, Gram staining, Gomori′s methenamine silver staining, hemotoxylin and eosin staining and culture on Sabouraud′s Dextrose agar without actidione. Slide cultures were put up on Czapek Dox agar, which showed typical flask-shaped sporangium with rhizoids. The patient was treated successfully with intravenous amphotericin B.

Cutaneous nocardiosis is a rare disease, only a few cases of which have been reported from the world as well as in India. This infection, when in the lymphocutaneous form, may clinically resemble sporotrichosis, hence causing a diagnostic dilemma. Here, we report a case of primary cutaneous, sporotrichoid pattern of cutaneous nocardiosis caused by Nocardia asteroides in immunocompetent host. The patient was a 32-year-old farmer, with no predisposing factors, who presented with cutaneous nocardiosis. The diagnosis was confirmed by culture of the biopsy, after which the patient was treated successfully with antibacterial agents.

Few cases of empyema thoracis due to Candida species have been reported from the world and India. A 46-year-old male with esophageal carcinoma, who had taken radiotherapy, presented with fever and dyspnea. The chest X-ray showed findings suggestive of empyema. The diagnosis was confirmed by culturing Candida albicans from aspirated fluid and blood culture. The patient responded to antifungal treatment. High index of suspicion is required to diagnose such rare cases.

About 300 cases of congenital tuberculosis have been reported in the world literature, nevertheless rarely with nonspecific clinical manifestations. Here, we report the case of a premature infant with congenital tuberculosis and septicemia due to Candida krusei, who was treated successfully.

Rhodotorula species may be responsible for systemic infection in immunocompromised patients. Meningitis by Rhodotorula species in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected persons has been reported previously. We report a case of meningitis caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in a 36-year-old HIV seropositive male patient who presented with fever, altered sensorium and features of meningeal irritation i.e. neck rigidity. The Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell counts were high, showing 150 cells/mm 3 , with 60% lymphocytes and 40% polymorphs, and protein content of 100 mg%; glucose was 60 mg%. The diagnosis was confirmed by culture on Sabouraud′s Dextrose agar. The patient was treated successfully with intensive Amphotericin B (1 mg/kg), for two weeks, followed by oral Itraconazole (400 mg daily), for a period of two months. The patient was started on anti retroviral therapy. He did not show any relapse of the symptoms when the last follow up was done six months after the date of discharge.

A total of 60 patients suspected to have AIDS with oral lesions suggestive of oral candidiasis were studied. Candida species were isolated from 50 patients. Candida albicans was the commonest isolate (70 %) followed Candida parapsilosis (15%), Candida glabrata (7.5%) and Candida tropicalis (5%) respectively. Candida dubliniensis was isolated from a single case only. Though the reports from developed countries show more prevalence of the novel species Candida dubliniensis, in our study it was isolated in a single case. All the patients were treated successfully with oral fluconazole for 7 days except for the patients from which Candida glabrata was isolated, who were treated with Amphotericin B.

Byline: V. Baradkar, S. Kumar Sir, The genus Phaeoacremonium is intermediate between the genera Acremonium and Phialophora . It is distinguished from Acremonium by the presence of phaeoid, vegetative hyphae [...]

Byline: V. Baradkar, M. Mathur, A. Sonavane, S. Kumar Although ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt infection is a common complication of shunt procedures, fungal infection is considered to be rare. In the [...]

Byline: Alka. Sonavane, V. Baradkar, M. Mathur Out of 2000 clinically suspected cases of bacterial meningitis in children admitted between February 2005 and February 2008, bacteria were isolated in 34 [...]

Byline: M. Mathur, V. Baradkar, A. De, S. Taklikar, S. Gaikwad Sir, Dermatophytoses are the infections of keratinized tissues caused by a group of closely related fungi known as dermatophytes [...]

Despite advances in imaging and antibiotic treatment, brain abscess is still encountered occasionally. Various aerobic and anaerobic bacteria have been reported as causative agents of brain abscess but only a few cases of enterococcal brain abscesses have been reported. Here we report a case of brain abscess in a 12-year-old female patient, who presented with a history of fever, chills, headache, convulsions since seven days and history of altered sensorium and aphasia since the last two days . The patient had chronic suppurative otitis media of both ears following trauma and presented with ear discharge. The diagnosis of brain abscess was done by computerized tomography scan and the pus was aspirated by left suboccipital burr hole operation. Enterococcus species was cultured from the aspirated pus sample. The patient responded to surgical drainage and antibiotic treatment.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about the invading aspergillosis of sinus in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patient.

Cryptococcus neoformans infection is one of the acquired immunodefi ciency syndrome (AIDS)-defining conditions. It can be readily identified by its characteristic capsulated morphology by negative staining. We report a case of chronic meningitis produced by pseudohyphal forms of Cryptococcus neoformans in an AIDS patient who responded to amphotericin B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicopsis romeroi is a dematiaceous fungus that rarely causes subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis. Here, we report a subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by a rare dematiaceous fungus, M. romeroi, in a 56-year-old male renal transplant patient. The patient was admitted for graft dysfunction and was found to have painless swelling over the anterior aspect of the right knee, which was aspirated twice within 40 days. Broad septate hyphae (determined by microscopy) and growth of phaeoid in a culture were observed in both the specimens. No sporulation was observed in the slide culture. Swelling recurred even after treatment with voriconazole, so the lesion was surgically excised. Genotypically, the isolate was identified as M. romeroi in both specimens. He was discharged on voriconazole. During a 6-month follow-up, no relapse was noticed. Phaeohyphomycosis caused by M. romeroi is rare, with only a few cases reported in India. Laboratory diagnosis of Medicopsis by conventional methods is challenging. Medicopsis species should be considered one of the etiological agents for subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis. Molecular methods should be used for the identification of unusual pathogens., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation.)

Mucocutaneous and cutaneous candidiasis, though common in children, is often under-reported. The prevalence of Candida dubliniensis in causing these infections in this age group is also largely unknown. A prospective epidemiological cross-sectional study for candidiasis was performed in paediatric patients clinically suspected of candidiasis with oropharyngeal lesions (75 patients), cutaneous lesions (18 patients) and lesions at both sites (2 patients). Candida species were identified by conventional tests. For C. dubliniensis, chlamydospore production, growth on tobacco agar and growth at 45 °C were performed. Nine isolates were confirmed at a reference centre. The rates of candidiasis were 77.3 % (58 out of 75 patients clinically suspected of candidiasis) and 83.3 % (15/18) in oropharyngeal and cutaneous lesions respectively, and 1 of the 2 children with lesions at both sites was diagnosed as having chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis due to C. dubliniensis. The commonest species isolated was Candida albicans, in 41 (70.7 %) patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis and 11 (73.3 %) with cutaneous lesions; C. dubliniensis was isolated from 11 and 3 children respectively. In the paediatric population, C. albicans predominates in mucocutaneous and cutaneous candidiasis, with C. dubliniensis also contributing substantially.

Cysticercosis is a disease caused by larval form of tapeworm. Cysticercus cellulose primarily develops in tissues of pigs. Infection of human tissues is unusual and affliction of the oral cavity is rare. We, herein, present a case of lingual cysticercosis without involvement of any other site. A 5-year-old male, non-vegetarian child presented with a painless, pearly white, solitary nodular swelling on posterior dorsal side of tongue since 3 months. Excision biopsy was done. Histopathology revealed cysticercous cellulose in tongue muscles.

Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome is one of the fatal complications of meningococcal infection. Here we report a fatal case of this syndrome due to Neisseria meningitidis in a 29-year-old male patient who was admitted with high-grade fever and chills and vomiting since 7 days, a skin rash over the abdomen and trunk, and altered sensorium since 2 days. On examination, the signs of meningitis were present along with the hemorrhagic rash. The diagnosis of adrenal hemorrhage was confirmed by computerized tomographic scan findings. The patient was started on intravenous ceftriaxone, and the cerebrospinal fluid was processed for bacterial culture, which yielded growth of N meningitidis. The patient's condition deteriorated; he developed purpura along with a fall in platelet count, and died due to shock. This case is being reported as such a complication is comparatively rare in this antibiotic era, especially in adults, and starting steroids like dexamethasone prior to antibacterial therapy may be useful to diminish the inflammation brought about by bacterial cell death and thus help in reducing the otherwise high mortality in these cases.

Disseminated cases of histoplasmosis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are rarely reported from India. Most of these cases report isolation of this fungus from the bone marrow, lymph node aspirate, spleenic aspirate, and biopsies. We report isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum from the blood of an AIDS patient. A 30-year-old male from Utter Pradesh was admitted with fever, loss of appetite, and nausea since two months. Few intracellular and extracellular budding cells were observed on bone marrow examination on the fifth day of admission. Diagnosis was confirmed by blood cultures taken on the 11th day of admission. Amphotericin B was started, but the patient's condition deteriorated and he died.

A total of 573 HIV seropositive and clinically suspected cases of Cryptococcal meningitis were included in the study, from January 2006 to January 2007. CSF samples were processed by negative staining with 10% Nigrosin, cultured on Sabouraud's dextrose agar, biochemical tests, such as urease test and brownish growth in Niger seed agar. The prevalence of Cryptococcal meningitis was found to be 2.79%. The most common signs and symptoms were: fever (100%), headache (100%), altered sensorium (100%), and neck stiffness (90%). All the patients responded to intravenous Amphotericin B treatment.