Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a dangerous pathogen resistant to β-lactam antibiotics. Due to its resistance, it is difficult to manage the infections caused by this strain. We examined this issue in terms of observation of the growth properties and ability to form biofilms in sensitive S. aureus and MRSA after the application of antibiotics (ATBs)-ampicillin, oxacillin and penicillin-and complexes of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with these ATBs. The results suggest the strong inhibition effect of SeNPs in complexes with conventional ATBs. Using the impedance method, a higher disruption of biofilms was observed after the application of ATB complexes with SeNPs compared to the group exposed to ATBs without SeNPs. The biofilm formation was intensely inhibited (up to 99%±7% for S. aureus and up to 94%±4% for MRSA) after application of SeNPs in comparison with bacteria without antibacterial compounds whereas ATBs without SeNPs inhibited S. aureus up to 79%±5% and MRSA up to 16%±2% only. The obtained results provide a basis for the use of SeNPs as a tool for the treatment of bacterial infections, which can be complicated because of increasing resistance of bacteria to conventional ATB drugs.

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Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA Growth and Biofilm Formation after Treatment with Antibiotics and SeNPs.

Suboptimal adherence associated with virological failure and resistance mutations to first-line highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Bangalore, India.

Despite the fact that South Asia is predicted to have the highest number of cases worldwide, melioidosis is a little-known entity in South Asian countries. It has never been heard of by the majority of doctors and has as yet failed to gain the attention of national Ministries of Health and country offices of the World Health Organization (WHO). Although a few centers are diagnosing increasing numbers of cases, and the mortality documented from these institutions is relatively high (nearly 20%), the true burden of the disease remains unknown. In India, most cases have been reported from southwestern coastal Karnataka and northeastern Tamil Nadu, although this probably simply reflects the presence of centers of excellence and researchers with an interest in the disease. As elsewhere, the majority of cases have type 2 diabetes mellitus and occupational exposure to the environment. Most present with community-acquired pneumonia and/or bacteremia, especially during heavy rainfall. The high seropositivity rate (29%) in Karnataka and isolation of B. pseudomallei from the environment in Tamil Nadu and Kerala confirm India as melioidosis-endemic, although the full extent of the distribution of the organism across the country is unknown. There are limited molecular epidemiological data, but, thus far, the majority of Indian isolates have appeared distinct from those from South East Asia and Australia. Among other South Asian countries, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are known to be melioidosis-endemic, but there are no cases that have conclusively proved to have been acquired in Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan or Pakistan. There are no surveillance systems in place for melioidosis in South Asian countries. However, over the past two years, researchers at the Center for Emerging and Tropical Diseases of Kasturba Medical College, University of Manipal, have established the Indian Melioidosis Research Forum (IMRF), held the first South Asian Melioidosis Congress, and have been working to connect researchers, microbiologists and physicians in India and elsewhere in South Asia to raise awareness through training initiatives, the media, workshops, and conferences, with the hope that more patients with melioidosis will be diagnosed and treated appropriately. However, much more work needs to be done before we will know the true burden and distribution of melioidosis across South Asia.

https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/3/2/51/pdf

Melioidosis in South Asia (India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and Afghanistan)

Staphylococcus aureus, an important nosocomial pathogen, is frequently associated with infections in human. The management of the infections by it especially methicillin resistant ones is often difficult because methicillin resistant S. aureus is usually resistant to multiple antibiotics. Macrolide-lincosamide streptogramin B family of antibiotics is commonly used to treat such infections as an alternative to vancomycin. This study was conducted over the period of one and half year from November 2013–April 2015 in Microbiology laboratory of Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal to find the incidence of different phenotypes of MLSB resistance among S. aureus from clinical samples and their association with methicillin resistance. Two hundred seventy isolates of S. aureus were included in the study. Methicillin resistance was detected by cefoxitin disc diffusion method and inducible clindamycin resistance by erythromycin and clindamycin disc approximation test (D-test). Of the 270 clinical isolates of S. aureus, 25.1% (68/270) were MRSA. Erythromycin and clindamycin resistance was seen in 54.4% (147/270) and 41.8% (113/270) isolates respectively. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin were higher in MRSA as compared to MSSA (erythromycin-resistance: 88.2% Vs 39.1% and clindamycin-resistance: 79.4% Vs 41.8%). The overall prevalence of iMLSB and cMLSB phenotype was 11.48% (31/270) and 29.25% (79/270) respectively. Both iMLSB and cMLSB phenotypes predominated in MRSA strains. Detection rate of MRSA in our study shows the necessity to improve in healthcare practices and to formulate new policy for the control of MRSA infections. Clindamycin resistance in the form of iMLSB and cMLSB especially among MRSA emphasizes the need of D-test to be performed routinely in our set up while using clindamycin as an alternative choice to anti-staphylococcal antibiotics like vancomycin and linezolid in the treatment of staphylococcal infections.

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Inducible clindamycin and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Trends in transmitted drug-resistant HIV-1 and demographic characteristics of newly diagnosed patients: nationwide surveillance from 2003 to 2008 in Japan.

Background Therapy for Staphylococcal infections may be complicated by the possibility of inducible macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance (MLSBi). We studied the prevalence of MLSBi in community associated (CA) and hospital associated (HA) Staphylococcus aureus isolates from clinical samples. Methods A total of 305 strains of S. aureus comprising 140 (45.9%) [95% CI 40.36–51.52] methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 165 (54%) [95% CI 48.48–59.64] methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) were identified by conventional methods. The double disc test (D test) was applied by placing erythromycin and clindamycin discs to investigate inducible and constitutive MLSBi resistant phenotypes. Results 16.6% of MRSA showed constitutive resistance and 37.5% inducible MLSBi resistance. Community associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) represented 10% of all isolates and had lower prevalence of MLSBi than hospital associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). Conclusion Routine screening for inducible MLSBi resistance by double disc test can screen for potential treatment failures such that clindamycin can be used effectively and judiciously when indicated for staphylococcal infections especially for treating skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in CA-MRSA due to low prevalence of MLSBi among CA-MRSA.

Prevalence of inducible clindamycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical samples.

The majority of the HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) testing studies have focused on subtype B virus. The predominance of subtype C in the Indian subcontinent along with greater access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) necessitates studies on HIVDR genotyping. We determined the prevalence of mutations associated with protease inhibitors (PI), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) from plasma of 40 antiretroviral drug-naive study participants in Indian HIV-1 pol gene sequences. Of these, 36 sequences belonged to subtype C, two to subtype A1, and two were subtype A1C recombinants. The heterosexual route was the most common route of transmission. Drug resistance-associated mutations were observed in 10% (4/40) of the study participants. The resistance mutation observed in the protease gene was V82A, whereas in the RT gene, M41L, D67N, M184V, and A98G were documented. This is the first study reporting major protease mutations by genotyping in ART-naive individuals from western India.

Profile of Primary Resistance in HIV-1-Infected Treatment-Naive Individuals from Western India

Background
One-tenth of all infectious diseases are attributable to emerging organisms. As emerging organisms sporadically affect a relatively small percentage of population they are not studied at large. This study was aimed at studying the characteristics of emerging organisms encountered from various clinical samples in an apex tertiary care multispeciality teaching and research hospital.

Emerging organisms in a tertiary healthcare set up.

Infection caused by the lung fluke is endemic in north eastern parts of India. Paragonimus westermani and Paragonimus heterotremus are known to be endemic in eastern Indian states of Manipur and Nagaland. The infection is related to eating habits of the locals and is acquired by ingestion of raw, inadequately cooked crabs or crayfish containing encysted metacercariae which act as second intermediate hosts during the life cycle of the lung fluke. Diagnosis is generally delayed due to lack of suspicion and presentation similar to tuberculosis which is endemic in the population. We report pleuropulmonary paragonimiasis in a soldier from eastern India who presented with chest pain, haemoptysis, and eosinophilia. He gave history of consumption of raw crabs while on leave at his native village in Nagaland. Ova morphologically resembling Paragonimus heterotremus were detected in sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage specimen. Symptoms resolved with praziquantel treatment.

Pleuropulmonary paragonimiasis: mimicker of tuberculosis.

Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is an emerging pathogen known to cause meningitis, pneumonia, endocarditis, bacteremia, sepsis, wound, soft tissue, abdominal, respiratory and ocular infections, dialysis associated peritonitis and prosthesis associated septic arthritis; especially in immunodeficient hosts.1,2 It is ubiquitous Gram-negative nonfermenter found in soil, plants, fresh and marine water, food products, hospital environments, chlorinated water and may colonize sinks and taps causing both community and nosocomial infections, though does not constitute human microflora.1 It has many attributes of Gram-positive bacteria which confuse its characterization in routine diagnostic settings. Elizabethkingia is an eponym from its discoverer Elizabeth O. King. Earlier classified under CDC group IIa, Flavobacterium (1959) and Chryseobacterium (1994), it was assigned the genus Elizabethkingia under Flavobacteriaceae family in 2005 based on 16s rRNA phylogenetic studies.3 Few infections of E. meningoseptica have been reported from India. We report four cases of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica from an apex tertiary care setup.

Mahima Lall

Papers

Prevalence of inducible clindamycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical samples.

Profile of Primary Resistance in HIV-1-Infected Treatment-Naive Individuals from Western India

Emerging organisms in a tertiary healthcare set up.

Pleuropulmonary paragonimiasis: mimicker of tuberculosis.

Multiresistant Elizabethkingia meningoseptica infections in tertiary care.