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Introduction Hepatitis B virus is a significant occupational hazard for healthcare workers worldwide. Long-term protection against hepatitis B infection is conferred by the vaccine and the protective immune response is indicated by anti-hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) titre. It is crucial to monitor anti-HBsAg titres as their levels decrease over time. The study aims to evaluate the status of hepatitis B vaccination among personnel working in the Central Laboratory of Shri B.M. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre. The focus is on understanding the immunization practices and protection levels against HBV within this high-risk group. Materials and methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted, including collecting demographic data, determining HBsAg status, evaluating anti-HBsAg titre value, and getting vaccination details of the laboratory personnel. The study participants included doctors, lab technicians, and attendants who were assessed for both vaccination coverage and immunity levels. After obtaining their written consent, 4 ml of blood was collected in sterile blood collection tubes. All the samples were tested for HBsAg. The negative samples were tested for anti-hepatitis B surface antigen antibody (HBsAg-Ab (IgG)) titre. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to evaluate the obtained samples for HBsAg and anti-HBsAg titre. Results A total of 99 healthcare workers were included in the study. Most of the laboratory healthcare workers were in the age range of 20-30 years. In 84.8% of the subjects, protective antibody levels (>10 IU/ml) were found. The highest protection was seen among doctors (94.5%), followed by lab technicians (82.9%) and attendants (66.6%). However, 15.2% exhibited inadequate immunity, predominantly among the attendants (33.3%). The highest vaccination coverage was among doctors (91.8%), followed by lab technicians (78.7%) and attendants (53.3%). Most doctors had completed the full vaccination schedule (70.2%) or received a booster dose (24.3%) compared to lab technicians (57.4%) and attendants (46.6%). Conclusion The study highlights effective preventive measures against HBV among laboratory healthcare workers, as indicated by the absence of active infections. But it also emphasizes the necessity of focused initiatives to raise vaccination rates, particularly among attendants, in order to guarantee complete protection against HBV for all levels of laboratory workers., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee issued approval 217A/2017/2018. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Karigoudar et al.)

Background: Escherichia coli accounts for 70%-95% of urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTI is a serious health problem with respect to antibiotic resistance and biofilms formation being the prime cause for the antibiotic resistance. Biofilm can restrict the diffusion of substances and binding of antimicrobials. In this context, the present study is aimed to perform in vitro detection of biofilm formation among E. coli strains isolated from urine and to correlate their susceptibility pattern with biofilm formation., Materials and Methods: A total of 100 E. coli strains isolated from patients suffering from UTI were included in the study. The identification of E. coli was performed by colony morphology, Gram staining, and standard biochemical tests. The detection of biofilm was carried out by Congo Red Agar (CRA) method, tube method (TM), and tissue culture plate (TCP) method. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar plate., Results: Of the 100 E. coli strains, 49 (49%) and 51 (51%) were from catheterized and noncatheterized patients, respectively. Biofilm production was positive by CRA, TM, and TCP method were 49 (49%), 55 (55%), and 69 (69%), respectively. Biofilm producers showed maximum resistance to co-trimoxazole (73.9%), gentamicin (94.2%), and imipenem (11.6%) when compared to nonbiofilm producers. Significant association was seen between resistance to antibiotic and biofilm formation with a P = 0.01 (<0.05)., Conclusion: A greater understanding of biofilm detection in E. coli will help in the development of newer and more effective treatment. The detection of biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibility pattern helps in choosing the correct antibiotic therapy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: β-lactamases viz., extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), AmpC, and metallo β-lactamase (MBL) production in Klebsiella pneumoniae has led to a serious concern about septicemic neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Units due to high resistance against commonly used antimicrobials., Purpose: To study the prevalence of ESBL, AmpC, and MBL production in K. pneumoniae isolates in neonatal septicemia, to check antimicrobial susceptibility to various drugs including tigecycline; and to assess burden of multiple drug resistance (MDR)., Materials and Methods: Total 24 clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae isolated from 318 blood samples of suspected cases of neonatal septicemia were studied. Isolates were screened for ESBL, AmpC, and MBL production by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) disk method, AmpC cefoxitin screen, and imipenem, meropenem, ceftazidime disk screen respectively; and confirmation was done by CLSI phenotypic disk confirmatory test, AmpC sterile disk method, and imipenem ethylenediamine tetracetic acid double disk synergy test respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby-Bauer's disk diffusion method. Efficacy of tigecycline was evaluated using United States Food and Drug Administration guidelines., Results: Of the 24 K. pneumoniae isolates, co-production of AmpC + MBL was found in more number of isolates (67%) (P < 0.0001) compared to single enzyme production (ESBL and MBL 8% both, AmpC 12.5%). Rate of resistance for penicillins and cephalosporins was highest. Susceptibility was more for imipenem, co-trimoxazole, and meropenem. Nonsusceptibility to tigecycline was low (21%). A total of 23 (96%) isolates were MDR., Conclusions: Routine detection of ESBL, AmpC, and MBL is required in laboratories. Carbapenems should be kept as a last resort drugs. Trend of tigecycline susceptibility has been noted in the study. Continued monitoring of susceptibility pattern is necessary to detect true burden of resistance for proper management.