Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is not easily cleared from the human body and in most cases turned into chronic infection. This chronicity is a major cause of liver damage, cirrhosis and hepatocellular car...

Streptococcus pneumoniae infection is a serious problem worldwide and the case fatality rate remains high. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of pneumococcal serotypes causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), to survey the potential coverage of present and future vaccines, and to investigate differences between serotypes and groups of serotypes with regard to manifestation, case fatality rate, age, and other risk factors.

Aim: The aim was to evaluate the in vitro activity of fosfomycin against common uropathogens in a fosfomycin-naive population in India. Methods: The authors prospectively collected and tested all consecutive isolates of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. from urine samples between December 2009 and April 2010. Results: A total of 3141 isolates were included in the study, 2416 E. coli and 725 Enterococcus spp. Fosfomycin was the most active antibiotic against both pathogens with an overall susceptibility of 83 and 99% for E. coli and Enterococcus spp, respectively. Among E. coli, 47.6% of the isolates were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing, of which 81% were susceptible to fosfomycin, while 51.5% were multidrug resistant, with 75.7% of this portion being susceptible to fosfomycin. Conclusion: Fosfomycin exhibits good in vitro activity against both the uropathogens tested. Therefore, it might be considered as a treatment option for urinary tract infections in India; however, clinical trials should...

Yazeed A. Al-Sherikh, Ph.D., Lakshmana K. Gowda, Ph.D., M. Marie Mohammed Ali, Ph.D., James John, Ph.D., Dabwan Khaled Homoud Mohammed, Ph.D., and Pradeep Chikkabidare Shashidhar, M.S.. Ann Lab Med 2014;34:210-5. https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2014.34.3.210