A comparative study of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device acceptance between vaginal delivery and caesarean delivery of women in a 2nd tire Government hospital in West Bengal, India

Background: About third fourth of the world’s population lines in the developing countries. Indian population contributes 17.7% of world population. Family planning is key factor for declining the population. It is related to every phase of maternity cycle i.e., antenatal, intranatal, postnatal or postpartum. IUCD is one the most effective reversible contraceptive method in family planning program. Methods: It was comparative study conducted over a period of two years at Gynae & Obstetrics department in a second-tier hospital in WB in India. Total 984 women had PPIUCD insertion immediately after delivery of placenta in vaginal (group A) and caesarean section (group B) after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. All women are counseled who delivered at this hospital over the mentioned period, were included in this study. Medical eligibility criteria were used for selection.Results: Around 50% of total delivery in both groups were accepted PPIUCD. There are 68% approximately women accepted PPIUCD who delivered virginally. In primiparous women acceptance of PPIUCD was 45.5%. Acceptance of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device was significantly higher in multipara (40.8%) who delivered vaginally.Conclusions: Acceptance of PPIUCD was significantly higher in women who delivered vaginally than cesarean section in both primiparous and multiparous women. Most common cause behind this acceptance was family planning counselling and awareness program.

Seroprevalence of brucellosis among animal handlers in West Bengal, India: an occupational health study

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease and a major human health problem worldwide. Due to its ways of transmission, direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their contaminated biological products, the disease exhibits strong occupational association with animal handlers comprising a significant population at risk. This study was undertaken to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in animal handlers and to understand the epidemiological and serological aspects of the same. The animal handlers from the state of West Bengal, India were included in this study. It was a prospective and observational cohort study from November 2021 to March 2022. A total of 669 sera samples were collected from animal handlers and tested using various serological tests for Brucella antibodies. All serum samples were tested using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), standard tube agglutination test (STAT), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 106 (15.8%) patients were diagnosed with brucellosis among the total number of patients tested. Most of the patients affected with brucellosis belonged to the age group 51–60 years (23.5%). The seropositivity rate in male animal handlers was higher than female animal handlers in this study. More studies are needed to understand the occupational association of this disease. Awareness programs, safe livestock practices, and prevention of the disease by timely diagnosis must be implemented in order to control human brucellosis

Changing Paradigms in Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella Species with Focus on Fluoroquinolone Resistance: A 5-Year Retrospective Study of Enteric Fever in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kolkata, India

Enteric fever, a potentially fatal multisystem disease that is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and Paratyphi, poses a significant risk in low- and middle-income countries. A retrospective study to understand the prevalence and evolving patterns of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi was undertaken from June 2017 to June 2022. A total of 4051 blood samples were collected from patients attending inpatient and outpatient departments of the School of Tropical Medicine (Kolkata, India) hospital. Blood samples were cultured, and culture positive samples were further processed for identification using conventional and automated systems. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using both the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and VITEK2 (bioMerieux). Forty-five (1.1%) Salmonella species were isolated among the number of total (n = 4051) samples that were tested. Out of the 45 Salmonella isolates, 35 were Salmonella Typhi (77.77%) and 10 were Salmonella Paratyphi A (22.23%). We found pronounced fluoroquinolone resistance of 100% in the recent years (2019–2022) in both of the S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A isolates. We found that 1 Salmonella Typhi and 2 Salmonella Paratyphi A isolates were resistant against multiple antibiotics (cefixime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid), and 1 multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Paratyphi A isolate was found in a recent study year (2020) and it showed resistance against different classes of antibiotics (cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and carbapenems). There was no resistance that was detected to the 3rd generation cephalosporins in the final years of the study. The emergence of Salmonella isolates that are resistant to multiple antibiotics poses a serious health problem. The antimicrobial resistance patterns that were detected in the study thus warrant further studies to understand the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance pattern of Salmonella against the major classes of antibiotics

Clinico-microbiological profile on multidrug-resistant enterococci in urinary tract infection patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Considering enterococci as an emerging important cause of nosocomial infections, and antibiotic resistance by Enterococcus as a major obstacle for treatment, determination of the prevalence of various Enterococcus species and their antibiotic resistance pattern among urinary isolates is very crucial and need of the hour. The present study tried to identify the burden of urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Enterococcus species and analyze the current antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the uropathogenic isolates and evaluate the risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study included all clinico-microbiologically diagnosed cases of admitted UTI cases. Hospital records were analyzed for the clinical background of the UTI cases, and urine sample was collected and processed for antibiotic susceptibility testing. Data were statistically analyzed. Results: Out of the 372 urine samples, Enterococcus spp. was identified in 13.44% of isolates as the causal uropathogen. Enterococcus faecalis was the predominant species identified, followed by Enterococcus faecium. Cases were mostly observed in clinical settings of sepsis followed by pyelonephritis and cystitis. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile showed that resistance was most frequently observed with norfloxacin followed by levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, and high-level gentamicin. Linezolid showed maximum sensitivity, followed by vancomycin, nitrofurantoin, and others. Conclusion: The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterococcus species is of particular concern in terms of antibiotic therapy. Speciation along with routine culture and sensitivity is essential to gather knowledge about the available antibiotics in MDR uropathogenic Enterococcus species, particularly oral choices