Search

Background: Levonadifloxacin and its oral prodrug, Alalevonadifloxacin, are novel antibiotics licensed in India for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and soft tissue infections, including diabetic foot infections and concurrent bacteremia. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the activity of levonadifloxacin against contemporary Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates, including methicillin‑resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Methods: A total of 102 S. aureus isolates (non‑duplicate one per patient from diverse specimens) were collected from January to December 2021. Isolates were further screened for methicillin‑resistance by the disk‑diffusion method using Cefoxitin (30 mcg). Susceptibilities of levonadifloxacin and other antibiotics were then determined using the disk‑diffusion method performed as per the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Results: Among 102 isolates, 49 (57.8%) were MRSA. Against all isolates, the susceptibilities to gentamicin, cotrimoxazole, erythromycin, clindamycin, and ciprofloxacin were 61.8, 60, 30.4, 57.8, and 12.7%, respectively, while levonadifloxacin showed 100% susceptibility. Furthermore, the susceptibilities of linezolid and vancomycin were also 100%. Conclusion: Levonadifloxacin is a newer, safer, and alternative treatment option for infections caused by diverse multidrug‑resistant S. aureus, including MRSA. This study, in conjunction with other previous studies, also re‑established that levonadifloxacin susceptibilities can be reliably determined using the disk‑diffusion method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that uses a nitrate reductase assay (NRA) to test the rapid and inexpensive drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from western India. The study compares 80 strains of M. tuberculosis isolated from sputum samples of pulmonary tuberculosis patients through NRA and absolute concentration method. It reveals the potential of the NRA to be a useful tool for rapid DST of M. tuberculosis.

Onychomycosis is a fairly common condition seen in a dermatology clinic. Dermatophytes Trichophyton and Epidermophyton are the known filamentous fungi implicated. The yeast-like fungi such as Candida less commonly cause Onychomycosis. The genus Prototheca may on preliminary observation resemble yeast-like fungi but a detailed microscopy will reveal the absence of budding and presence of endospores. Onychoprotothecosis is an uncommon presentation of human protothecosis. Of the two Prototheca species (Prototheca zopfii and Prototheca wickerhamii) known to cause the disease, P. wickerhamii has been reported more commonly. We report a culture proven case of this condition caused by P. zopfii. The patient, a 55-year-old housewife presented with discolouration and breaking off of the right thumb and forefinger nails since a period of six months. Samples of nail scrapping sent to the Microbiology Laboratory were culture-positive for Prototheca. Speciation by the automated Vitek-2 system (bioMerieux) identified the isolate as P. zopfii, which was further confirmed at PGI, Chandigarh.