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The million-dollar question that has been the talk of the day is how effective the COVID 19 vaccines are against the Omicron variant. Still, there is no clear-cut answer to this question but several studies have concluded that this Variant of Concern (VOC) successfully weakens the neutralizing capability of the antibodies acquired from the COVID 19 vaccines and prior infections, which indicates that Omicron can easily bypass an individual's humoral immune response. However, the most significant confusion revolves around cell-mediated immunity tackling the Omicron variant. This paper aims to provide a clear idea about the status of the body's immune surveillance concerning the infection caused by the Omicron variant by producing the effectivity of the humoral and cell-mediated immunity in handling the same. This work also provides complete detail of the various characteristics of the Omicron variant and how it may be a blessing in disguise. The effectiveness of the current vaccines, the transmissibility rate of the variant compared to the other variants, and the importance of administering a booster dose to prevent the spread of this variant are also discussed. Finally, this work aims to bridge the gap between the past and the current status of the Omicron infection and sheds light on the hypothetical idea that herd immunity developed from the SARS-COV2 infection may help tackle other dangerous variants.

The recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV)-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease (covid19) has posed a great threat to human health. Previous outbreaks of SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory Syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV) from the same CoV family had posed similar threat to human health and economic growth. To date, not even a single drug specific to any of these CoVs has been developed nor any anti-viral vaccine is available for the treatment of diseases caused by CoVs. Subunits present in spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are involved in binding to human ACE2 Receptor which is the primary method of viral invasion. As it has been observed in the previous studies that there are very minor differences in the spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 has an additional furin cleavage site that makes it different from SARS-CoV (Walls et al., 2020). In this study, we have analyzed spike glycoproteins of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV phylogenetically and subjected them to selection pressure analysis. Selection pressure analysis has revealed some important sites in SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV spike glycoproteins that might be involved in their pathogenicity. Further, we have developed a potential multi-epitope vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 by analyzing its interactions with HLA-B*15:03 subtype. This vaccine consists of multiple T-helper (TH) cells, B-cells, and Cytotoxic T-cells (CTL) epitopes joined by linkers and an adjuvant to increase its immunogenicity. Conservation of selected epitopes in SARS, MERS, and human hosts, suggests that the designed vaccine could provide cross-protection. The vaccine is designed in silico by following a reverse vaccinology method acknowledging its antigenicity, immunogenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity. The vaccine candidate that we have designed as a result of this work shows promising result indicating its potential capability of simulating an immune response.

Introduction: Emergence of antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation among the nosocomial pathogens is of serious concern due to recurrence and chronicity of infections. The production of the extended spectrum-β-lactamases and their spread among bacterial pathogens is a matter of concern with regard to the future of antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrobial resistance is an innate feature of bacterial biofilms. Biofilm formation is higher in ESBL producing and MDR strains. The present study was undertaken with the aim to determine antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates, to find prevalence of ESBL among isolates and their association with biofilm production. Material and Methods: The study was carried out in the tertiary care hospital for the period of 1yr, from November 2014 to October 2015. A total of 100 isolates of P. aeruginosa from various clinical specimens were taken and identified using standard microbiological procedures. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and ESBL production as per CLSI method. Biofilm formation was achieved according to the Tissue Culture Plate (TCP) assay. Results: Out of these 100 isolates, 58 were multi drug resistant and 20 were extreme drug resistant. Forty nine (49.0%) isolates were ESBL producers, while 51(51.0%) isolates were non-ESBL producers. Seventy-eight isolates produced biofilm, out of which, 43 were found in ESBL producers and 34 in non-ESBL producers. Conclusion: ESBL and biofilm producing nosocomial pathogens are of significant concern as they can cause chronic relapses and dissemination of drug resistant isolates. Both ESBL and biofilm production in the isolates further increase the morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Hence it is necessary to detect the biofilm forming bacteria, conduct surveillance of the antibiotic susceptibility and device effective infection control measures.

Introduction: Identification of Extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL), AmpC production and carbapenemase production among isolates of Escherichia coli, helps clinician to rationalize the choice of antibiotics. However, there is a lack of simple and effective method for simultaneous identification of these beta lactamases.Aim: To determine the concurrent production of beta lactamases using twelve disc method on E. coli isolates.Materials and Methods: A total of 200 multidrug resistant E. coli were screened using twelve disc method. The isolates of ESBL were confirmed by ceftazidime/clavulanic acid and cefotaxime/clavulanic acid method. Metallo-beta-lactamases (MBL) were confirmed by imipenem EDTA combined disc method.Results: Among the 200 isolates, 42.5% were ESBL producers, 9% were MBL and 6.5% were Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) and AmpC each respectively. Coproduction was seen in 54 (27%). A significant difference in sensitivity was seen in cefuroxime, aztreonam, cefoxitin and ceftriaxone among inpatient and outpatients.Conclusion: The present study highlights burden of ESBL, AmpC, KPC and MBL along with their coproduction in a tertiary care hospital. In-house antibiotic policy, infection control and epidemiological surveys will help us in controlling these resistant bugs. We believe, the twelve disc method is a simple, inexpensive screening method for beta lactamase production.

Kaempferol (KMP), a dietary flavonoid, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects. Hence, we investigated the effect of KMP in ischemia-reperfusion (IR) model of myocardial injury in rats. We studied male albino Wistar rats that were divided into sham, IR-control, KMP-20 + IR, and KMP 20 per se groups. KMP (20 mg/kg; i.p.) was administered daily to rats for the period of 15 days, and, on the 15th day, ischemia was produced by one-stage ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 60 min. After completion of surgery, rats were sacrificed; heart was removed and processed for biochemical, morphological, and molecular studies. KMP pretreatment significantly ameliorated IR injury by maintaining cardiac function, normalizing oxidative stress, and preserving morphological alterations. Furthermore, there was a decrease in the level of inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6, and NFκB), inhibition of active JNK and p38 proteins, and activation of ERK1/ERK2, a prosurvival kinase. Additionally, it also attenuated apoptosis by reducing the expression of proapoptotic proteins (Bax and Caspase-3), TUNEL positive cells, and increased level of antiapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2). In conclusion, KMP protected against IR injury by attenuating inflammation and apoptosis through the modulation of MAPK pathway.

Background N. gonorrhoeae, a major causative agent of STI, has acquired resistance to most of the commonly used drugs. Hence there is an urgent need to look for novel drug targets and new drugs to combat this disease. Although a large number of prokaryotic genomes have been sequenced, only a small percentage is completely annotated. Structure-function annotation of hypothetical proteins (HPs) can be exploited to identify novel drug targets. Methods Various web tools were used under stringent condition to predict the function of different HPs and to identify novel drug targets based on their cellular localization, domains, motifs and by using STRING (http://string-db.org/) to identify their potential interactions with other proteins. To predict drug targets, essential genes were identified using DEG database and BLASTed against proteome of Homo sapiens to exclude homologous proteins. Results Using bioinformatics tools, 206 HPs were analyzed for their subcellular localization. 140 HPs were predicted as cytoplasmic proteins and 10 as extracellular, Nine proteins in the outer membrane, seven as inner membrane whereas three in the periplasmic area. Using available tools, function to 32 HPs was assigned with high confidence; 11 proteins showed signal peptide whereas 21 proteins showed transmembrane helices. We predicted 19 proteins as putative enzymes crucial for the survival of Neisseria. These 19HPs were sub-classified as DNA modification system (5), transferases (3), hydrolase (3), FAD/NAD binding enzymes (5) and others (3). Other 12 HPs were characterized as transporter proteins including autotransporter (8), TonB dependent receptor (2), members of TAT pathway (1) and branched chain amino acid transporter (1). Two transporter proteins were predicted as adhesins and further classified as drug targets whereas five were predicted as vaccine candidates. We also predict five cytoplasmic and 4HPs localized in outer membrane as potential drug targets. Conclusion These results are expected to be helpful in the development of improved therapeutics. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Background: Candida spp. remains the fungal species most commonly associated with biofilm formation. Increase in Candida infections in last decades has almost paralleled the increase and wide spread use of a broad range of medical implant devices mainly in population with impaired host defences. One of the most important characteristics of biofilms is their high level of resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to know the prevalence of different Candida spp. causing blood stream infections and ability to form biofilm and to evaluate the co relation of biofilm with antifungal drug resistance. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted on 12464 blood samples for the identification and speciation of various Candida spp. causing blood stream infection over a period of one year. Antifungal susceptibility was performed as per clinical laboratory standard institute guidelines and biofilm formation was detected by method described by Christensen’s et al. Results: Out of total 12464 blood culture received, 1378 (11.05%) were culture positive rest and among culture positive 100 (7.25%) Candida isolates were recovered. C. tropicalis was the commonest (43%) species followed by C. albicans (41%), C. krusei (9%) and C. parapsilosis (7%). A total of 41 Candida isolates were biofilm producers and rest 59 isolates were non-biofilm producers. Conclusion: A changing trend of increased prevalence of non albicans Candida spp. was observed which were resistant to commonly used antifungal fluconazole. Multi drug resistance was more common in biofilm forming Candida isolates.

Introduction: Emergence of antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation among the nosocomial pathogens is of serious concern due to recurrence and chronicity of infections. The production of the extended spectrum-β-lactamases and their spread among bacterial pathogens is a matter of concern with regard to the future of antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrobial resistance is an innate feature of bacterial biofilms. Biofilm formation is higher in ESBL producing and MDR strains. The present study was undertaken with the aim to determine antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates, to find prevalence of ESBL among isolates and their association with biofilm production. Material and Methods: The study was carried out in the tertiary care hospital for the period of 1yr, from November 2014 to October 2015. A total of 100 isolates of P. aeruginosa from various clinical specimens were taken and identified using standard microbiological procedures. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and ESBL production as per CLSI method. Biofilm formation was achieved according to the Tissue Culture Plate (TCP) assay. Results: Out of these 100 isolates, 58 were multi drug resistant and 20 were extreme drug resistant. Forty nine (49.0%) isolates were ESBL producers, while 51(51.0%) isolates were non-ESBL producers. Seventy-eight isolates produced biofilm, out of which, 43 were found in ESBL producers and 34 in non-ESBL producers. Conclusion: ESBL and biofilm producing nosocomial pathogens are of significant concern as they can cause chronic relapses and dissemination of drug resistant isolates. Both ESBL and biofilm production in the isolates further increase the morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Hence it is necessary to detect the biofilm forming bacteria, conduct surveillance of the antibiotic susceptibility and device effective infection control measures.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases encountered in clinical practice. Emerging resistance of the uropathogens to the antimicrobial agents due to biofilm formation is a matter of concern while treating symptomatic UTI. But studies addressing the issue of biofilm production by uropathogens in Indian scenario are scarce. Aim of the study was to study biofilm formation and antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of uropathogens. Methods: Prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Total 300 isolates from urinary samples were analysed for biofilm formation by tissue culture plate method. We compared the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of the biofilm producing and non-producing uropathogens. For statistical analysis Chi-square test was applied when two or more set of variables were compared. A ‘p’ value of

Background: In resource limited settings in India, monitoring of treatment in HIV patients taking highly active antiretroviral therapy is done by six monthly CD4 count instead of highly sensitive plasma viral load. Patients are subjected to viral load only when their CD4 count is low for the last 12 months. This protocol has a huge disadvantage as treatment failure is detected much later than it has actually occurred and switch over to second line therapy gets delayed by approximately one year. Methods: Plasma viral load (pVL) of 50 WHO defined immunological failure cases was done using RT-PCR to detect virological failure (VF). Results: Out of 50 WHO defined immunological failure cases, 16 percent had developed virological failure. Conclusions: Nearly one-sixth of WHO defined immunological failure (IF) cases had developed virological failure. These patients required second line highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) therapy but due to following of current treatment monitoring protocol, treatment got delayed by one year. Thus, amendment in national policy for monitoring ART is required to diagnose treatment failure early so that there is no delay in switching to second line ART and morbidity and mortality in these patients can be reduced.

Background: Rampant rise in resistance to various antimicrobials among clinical isolates of Escherichia coli is an issue of serious concern, especially in developing countries. It not only causes failure in treatment but also pose a health burden over the society at large. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Muller Hinton agar as per Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute recommendations over 100 isolates of E. coli. Isolate resistant to at least three classes of antimicrobial agents was considered as multidrug resistant. Isolate resistant to the three classes of antimicrobials along with carbapenem was considered extensively drug resistant. Results: On performing the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern it was observed that E. coli isolates were maximally sensitive to ertapenem (56%), followed by imipenem (44%), meropenem (41%), piperacillin-tazobactam (23%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (21%), aztreonam (18%) among β-lactams group of antibiotics. 41% E. coli isolates were multidrug resistant and 11% were extensively drug resistant isolates. Conclusions: Stringent measures should be undertaken to curb the spread of antibiotic resistance. Policies should be framed and implemented to stop over the counter sale of antibiotics.

Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are those which are acquired in hospital either due to any intervention or directly through various routes of entry into the body. Nosocomial infection not only adds to functional disability to patients but also increases associated cost of treatment. Major categories of HAIs include pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTIs), blood stream infections (BSIs), and surgical site infections (SSIs). Methods: The study was conducted to know the incidence of blood stream infections. The patients who developed infections after 48 hours of admission in the ward were included in the study. Blood cultures were performed. A total of 125 seriously ill patients admitted in medicine ward were studied prospectively. Results: Out of a total of 125 patients, 10 (8%) patients developed BSIs. Gram negative isolates Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most commonly isolated organisms from cases of BSIs. Most of the isolated organisms were susceptible to ticarcillin clavulanic acid. Conclusions: HAI incidence was high in this study. Prevention programs in future should focus on patients with longer length of stay, invasive devices, and injudicious use of antibiotics to contain the incidence of HAIs.

Objectives and aims Escherchia coli isolated, from urine samples were studied for their antibiotic susceptibility patterns, with special reference to the new antimicrobial compound fosfomycin and their correlation with various virulence factors. Material and methods The mid stream urine samples received in the department were processed and identification was done by using the standard culture and identification techniques. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and the disk diffusion method was used to confirm the ESBL, AmpC, MBL production by the UPEC. Various virulence factors like hemolysin, haemagglutinaton, gelatinase, siderophore production, biofilm formation, serum resistance and hydrophobicity were detected. Results Fosfomycin was found to be most effective agent (100%) against uropathogenic E.coli followed by netilmicin (89.5%). The least effective agents were ampiciilin and cotrimoxazole. Twenty nine percent (29%) isolates were found to be multi drug resistant (MDR). Conclusions The testing of the newer therapeutic agents like fosfomycin will add on to therapeutics for UTI's.

Background: Acinetobacter species are ubiquitous in the environment and are important causative agent for nososcomial infection especially in immunocompromised patients. Multi drug resistant Acinetobacter lwoffii are emerging as a pathogen in neoanatal sepsis. Aims and Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical and antibiotic profile of Acinetobacter lwoffii. Material and Methods: This study was done on blood samples from neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit during a period of one year from January to December 2012, who developed Acinetobacter infection. The diagnosis of isolates and antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by both conventional as well as by automated system. Results: Out of total 13,133 blood samples received for culture, 1418(10.8%) were from NICU. Ninety (6.3%) isolates were found to be positive for the growth of Acinetobacter species. Of these isolates 31.11% were found to be Acinetobacter lwoffii, 68.9% were Acinetobacter baumannii calcaetius complex. Acinetobacter lwoffii isolates were most commonly sensitive to imepenem 16(57%), cotrimoxazole 9(32%), ciprofloxacin 6(21%) followed by amoxyclavulanic acid 2(7%) and cefuroxime 1(3.5%). Conclusion: Multi drug resistant Acinetobacter lwoffii infection is increasing particularly in premature and very low-birth weight neonates. Judicious and timely antibiotic use in NICUs are one of the important key in controlling multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter infection and improving clinical outcome.

Urinary tract infections are one of the leading cause of morbidity in admitted patients. Most commonly caused by Escherichia coli, but there are some variants which are commonly reported in urinary tract infection. This study was about to speciate such isolate like E.fergusonnii and find out its antibiogram.

Escherichia coli is known as causative agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs) tends to form microcolonies in mucosa lining of urinary bladder known as biofilm. These biofilms make the organism to resist the host immune response, more virulent and lead to the evolution of antibacterial drug resistance by enclosing them in an extracellular biochemical matrix.This study was done to know the association of various virulence factors and biofilm production in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and antibiotic susceptibility pattern.This study was conducted in Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana during a period of 1 year from January 2011 to December 2011.Biofilm was detected by microtiter plate (MTP) method, and various virulence factors like hemolysin, hemagglutination, gelatinase, siderophore production, serum resistance, and hydrophobicity were detected. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and the disk diffusion method was used to confirm the ESBL, AmpC, MBL production by the UPEC statistical analysis used: The data were analyzed by using SPSS version 17.0. A two-sided P-value of less than or equal to 0·05 was considered to be significant.Biofilm production was found in 18 (13·5%) isolates, more commonly in females (two times). These isolates were found to be resistant to antibiotics common in use and were 100% MDR.Biofilm production makes the organism to be more resistant to antibiotics and virulent as compared to non-biofilm producers.

Immunocompetent individuals are rarely affected by Aspergillus species and its prime importance lies in immunocompromised patients where it can cause disease, ranging from primarily pulmonary infections to dissemination anywhere in the body. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) occurs in patients with risk factors including prolonged neutropenia, neutrophil dysfunction, patient on cytotoxic drugs, steroid therapy, hematological malignancy, AIDS or in patients with bone marrow transplantation. A recently documented risk factor for IA is the exposure to environmental aspergillus spores at construction sites which makes it an important public health issue. We report here a case of primary CNS aspergillosis in an immunocompetent person who was initially diagnosed as a case of meningioma, and had a history of working in an area with excessive ongoing construction. He had no other primary focus of infection anywhere in the body. He was timely diagnosed and broad spectrum antifungals were started immediately.The brain biopsy and pus sampleas were subjected to direct microscopy using KOH mount and lactophenol cotton blue (LPCB) stain and culture on Sabourad's Dextrose Agar in Microbiology laboratory. Later patient was started on fluconazole and caspofungin.Thin, hyaline, septate hyphae on direct microscopy and growth of Aspergillus flavus on SDA culture were observed. The patient improved only with antifungals, without surgery.This case study highlights the importance of keeping the differential diagnosis of Aspergillus spp. in mind even in individuals with no immunodeficiency. The immunocompetent individuals have better prognosis and if timely diagnosed, can be treated even without surgery. The prevalence of aspergillus spores at construction and demolition sites makes it an important public health issue, hence precautions must be advocated at these sites.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of skin cleansing with chlorhexidine (CHD) in the prevention of neonatal nosocomial sepsis - a randomized controlled trial.This study design was a randomized controlled trial carried out in a tertiary care center of north India. About 140 eligible neonates were randomly allocated to either the subject area group (wiped with CHD solution till day seven of life) or the control group (wiped with lukewarm water). The primary outcome studied was to determine the decrease in the incidence of neonatal nosocomial sepsis (blood culture proven) in the intervention group.Out of 140 enrolled neonates, 70 were allocated to each group. The ratio of positive blood culture among the CHD group was 3.57%, while the ratio of positive blood culture among the control group was 6.85%. There was trending towards a reduction in blood culture proven sepsis in the intervention group, although the remainder was not statistically significant. A similar decreasing trend was observed in rates of skin colonization, duration of hospital stay, and duration of antibiotic treatment.CHD skin cleansing decreases the incidence of blood culture sepsis and could be an easy and cheap intervention for reducing the neonatal sepsis in countries where the neonatal mortality rate is high because of sepsis.

Background: Presence of antistreptolysin O antibodies in a patient’s sera may be an isolated evidence of recent infection by group A or less commonly, group C or G Streptococcus, especially in patients suspected of having a non suppurative sequel to this infection. Methods: A retrospective study was done on the sera samples received in the Department of Microbiology, PGIMS Rohtak, India for the detection of ASO, over a period of three years. The test was carried out by latex agglutination rapid test kit by Aspen. Results: A total of 4632 samples were received in the laboratory during the study period. Of these, 1058 (22.8%) were found to be positive for the presence of ASO having titre of >200 IU/mL. Conclusions: The prevalence of ASO was found to be highest in the age group 0-20. The presence of elevated streptococcal antibody titres in such a population reflects a high background prevalence of streptococcal infections. Thus, determination of ASO antibodies should be taken into consideration when evaluating the role of group A streptococcus in non-purulent complications of infections.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection diagnosed in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in spite of advances in diagnostic techniques and management it remains a common cause of hospital morbidity and mortality. Objective: The primary objective of the following study is to determine the incidence, various risk factors and attributable mortality associated with VAP and secondary objective is to identify the various bacterial pathogens causing VAP in the ICU. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was carried out over a period of 1 year. VAP was diagnosed using the clinical pulmonary infection score. Endotracheal aspirate (ETA) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples of suspected cases of VAP were collected from ICU patients and processed as per standard protocols. Statistical Analysis: Fisher's exact test was applied when to compare two or more set of variables were compared. Results: The incidence of VAP in our study was 57.14% and the incidence density of VAP was 31.7/1000 ventilator days. Trauma was the commonest underlying condition associated with VAP. The incidence of VAP increased as the duration of mechanical ventilation increased and there was a total agreement in bacteriology between semi-quantitative ETAs and BALs in our study. The overall mortality associated with VAP was observed to be 48.33%. Conclusions: The incidence of VAP was 57.14%. Study showed that the incidence of VAP is directly proportional to the duration of mechanical ventilation. The most common pathogens causing VAP were Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and were associated with a high fatality rate.

Chlamydia trachomatis(CT) is an important cause of sexually transmitted genital tract infections (STIs) and trachoma. Despite major research into chlamydial pathogenesis and host immune responses, immunoprotection has been hampered by the incomplete understanding of protective immunity in the genital tract. Characterized vaccine candidates have shown variable efficacy ranging from no protection to partial protectionin vivo. It is therefore a research priority to identify novel chlamydial antigens that may elicit protective immune responses against CT infection. In the present study we assessed the seroprevalence of antibodies against protein kinase1 (Pkn1), DNA ligaseA (LigA), and major outer membrane protein A (OmpA) following natural CT infection in humans and in experimentally induced CT infection inMacaca nemestrina. Antigenic stretches of Pkn1, LigA, and OmpA were identified using bioinformatic tools.Pkn1,LigA, andOmpAgenes were cloned in bacterial expression vector and purified by affinity chromatography. Our results demonstrate significantly high seroprevalence of antibodies against purified Pkn1 and OmpA in sera obtained from the macaque animal model and human patients infected with CT. In contrast no significant seroreactivity was observed for LigA. The seroprevalence of antibodies against Pkn1 suggest that nonsurface chlamydial proteins could also be important for developing vaccines forC. trachomatis.

OBJECTIVES: Voluntary donor selection and screening of donor's blood for infective agents are the cornerstones of transfusion medicine. Donor selection is of paramount importance because infected individuals serve as an asymptomatic reservoir and a potential source of transmission to healthy persons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the period of five years (01.01.2008 to 31.12.2012), out of a total number of 14026 healthy voluntary donors, there were 13601 males and 425 were females. Age ranged from 18-60 years. Blood was collected in Citrate Phosphate Dextrose Adenine (CPDA-1) bags. STASTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data was statistically analysed with statistix 9 software. A p value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was 0.25%, 1.42%, 1.10%, 0.62% respectively in total donors. CONCLUSION: This study reflects that blood transfusion is the leading risk factor for spread of the transfusion transmitted infections (TTI), which showed the need and importance of the mandatory screening of these infectious markers in blood donations.

Infection is an important cause of mortality in burns. Emergence of multi drug resistant pathogens in hospital setting has seriously constrained the available therapeutic options. This necessitates periodic review of the isolation pattern and study of antibiogram of the isolates to strengthen surveillance activities. To determine the bacteriological profile and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of pathogens isolated from infected burn wounds of patients admitted in the burns care unit. The present study was carried out over a duration of six months. Pus samples from infected burn wounds were processed following standard protocols. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the bacterial isolates was performed by Kirby- Bauer disc diffusion method. A total of 408 bacterial pathogens were isolated from 340 samples. The most frequent cause of infection was found to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa (53%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (9%), Escherichia coli (9%), Enterobacter spp. (8%), Citrobacter spp. (8%), Klebsiella spp. (5%), Acinetobacter spp. (3%) and Proteus spp. (3%). High level of drug resistance (95-100%) was observed for cefepime, ceftazidime, amoxyclav, cotrimoxazole and doxycycline among gram negative pathogens. Meropenem, amikacin and ciprofloxacin were found to be most effective. Twenty one percent of the S. aureus isolates were resistant to methicillin. The high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance emphasizes the need for strengthening the infection control practices

BACKGROUND: Multi drug resistant Acinetobacter species is a rapidly emerging pathogen in health care settings and has limited the options for effective treatment. It is increasingly reported as the cause of outbreaks and nosocomial infections such as blood-stream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, urinary tract infections and wound infections. AIM: The present study was undertaken to isolate and identify the multi drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter species. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: This is a prospective study conducted over a period of two years (September 2009 to August 2011) in a tertiary care hospital. Clinical samples were collected from both indoor and outdoor patients, irrespective of age and sex. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred non duplicate clinical isolates of Acinetobacter species were processed for species identification by standard Microbiological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility of these isolates was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. RESULTS: Of the 300 isolates, 224 (74.6%) were identified as A. baumannii followed by A. lwoffii 73/300 (24.3%) and A. haemolyticus 3/300 (1%). Majority of the isolates were recovered from ICU patients 183/300 (61%), followed by patients admitted in wards 93/300 (31%) and 24/300 (8%) isolates were from outdoor patients. Out of 300, 153 (51%) isolates were XDR and 11% were MDR. Only about 10% of the isolates were sensitive to β-lactams and 30-40% of the strains were sensitive to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. None of the isolate was resistant to cefoperazone sulbactam, ceftriaxone sulbactam and polymyxins. Statistically significant difference (p value

Aims. This study was aimed at knowing the prevalence of vancomycin and high level aminoglycoside resistance in enterococcal strains among clinical samples.Study Design. It was an investigational study.Place and Duration of Study. It was conducted on 100Enterococcusisolates, in the Department of Microbiology, Pt. BDS PGIMS, Rohtak, over a period of six months from July to December 2014.Methodology. Clinical specimens including urine, pus, blood, semen, vaginal swab, and throat swab were processed andEnterococcusisolates were identified by standard protocols. Antibiotic sensitivity testing of enterococci was performed using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.Results. High level gentamicin resistance (HLGR) was more common in urine samples (41.5%) followed by blood (36%) samples. High level streptomycin resistance (HLSR) was more common in pus samples (52.6%) followed by blood samples (36%). Resistance to vancomycin was maximum in blood isolates.Conclusion. Enterococci resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents have been recognized. Thus, it is crucial for laboratories to provide accurate antimicrobial resistance patterns for enterococci so that effective therapy and infection control measures can be initiated.