Scrub typhus has emerged as a major cause of acute febrile illness in India in recent years. The causative agent, Orientia tsutsugamushi has more than 20 prototype strains due to a variable 56-kDa outer membrane protein. It is crucial to know the prevailing types in India for the success of diagnostic immunoassays and prospective vaccine candidates. In north India, the principal types circulating are largely unknown. Our tertiary care hospital caters to a large area of north India (around 7 states and one union territory). Therefore, the current study was planned to identify the genotypes of O. tsutsugamushi strains circulating in this wide area of north India. Adults and children presenting with suspected scrub typhus between July 2013 and December 2013 were included in this study. DNA was extracted from whole blood and a nested PCR was used to amplify a 483-bp region of the 56-kDa antigen gene of O. tsutsugamushi. The PCR products were purified and DNA sequencing was performed and aligned using the CLUSTAL_X2 program. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using neighbour- joining algorithms and analysed using the sequences obtained in this study and those obtained from the GenBank database. A total of 34 samples were positive for PCR. The amplicons were sequenced and analyzed. Karp-like strains predominated in all states studied (64.7%) followed by Gilliam-like (26.47 %) and 8.82% similar to Hualien 1 or S072. We did not find any Kato or Kawasaki-like strain. Karp like strains showed >99% similarity to TH2033, TH2191, TH2208, Xinjiang & Neimeng strains and Gilliam-like strains showed >99% similarity to Clone ISS -11. Orientia tsutsugamushi shows a great diversity in its strains over a large geographical area of north India. This has implications in the production of both diagnostic assays and vaccine for scrub typhus.

Objectives: Surgical site infections (SSIs) continue to be a prevalent and pervasive issue, contributing to healthcare expenditures, extended hospital stays, and significantly increased morbidity and death. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the risk factors and prevalence of SSIs amongst patients undergoing various surgical procedures at a tertiary care facility in Port Blair, India. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted at a tertiary medical college hospital setting in Port Blair, India, within the Department of Microbiology. The study was conducted from January 2018 to June 2018. Results: During the study period, 776 individuals underwent various surgeries, including both elective and emergency procedures. The total prevalence of the SSI rate during the study period was 12.88% (n = 776) based on the documentation of approximately 100 SSIs. Amongst these, 44% were associated with obstetrics and gynaecology surgery. The category of post-lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) stitch line had the greatest prevalence rate of SSIs (34 patients out of 175 developed infections; LSCS approximately 19.42% of these patients developed SSIs). Conclusions: In Indian adult patients undergoing any form of surgical procedure, the SSI prevalence was 12.88%. SSIs occurred more frequently after obstetrics and gynaecology operations. Following any type of surgery, patients who are women, younger, had emergency surgery, have diabetes, and require a lengthy hospital stay are more likely to experience SSIs. The most commonly encountered pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus.

Background: HIV infection continues to be a major health problem with more than millions of AIDS-related death annually. As CD4+ cell count decreases in HIV/AIDS patients, the risk of opportunistic fungal infections increases resulting in high morbidity and Mortality. The spectrum of opportunistic fungal infections varies from one region to another. The purpose of the study was to investigate the occurrence of opportunistic fungal infection among HIV/AIDS-positive patients in Jharkhand. Method: This descriptive study was carried out at a tertiary care center in Jharkhand, over a period of two years. Total 118 HIV-positive patients with CD4+ count ≤200 cells/mm3 and suspected of having fungal infections were included. Samples were collected after taking an informed written consent from the patient. Isolation and identification of organisms were done as per standard Microbiological procedure. Result: Opportunistic fungal infection was identified in 47.45 % of patients. The most common fungi isolated were Candida species, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus species and Dermatophytes respectively being 27.96 % (n= 33), 12.71% (n= 15), 3.38 % (n= 4) and 3.38 % (n= 4). The commonest fungal agent is Candida species, comprising 58.92 %, followed by Cryptococcus neoformans 28.78 % of total fungal isolates. Conclusion: The common fungus isolated were Candida species, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus species, and Dermatophytes in HIV-positive patients in Jharkhand. This study would help to sensitize clinicians to make the correct diagnosis and plan appropriate strategies for the investigation and treatment of common opportunistic fungal infections at center.