Hymenolepis diminuta infection in a young boy from rural part of Northern India

Hymenolepis diminuta (H. diminuta) is primarily a parasite of rats and mice. Humans are infected by eating meal contaminated with these arthropods. This infection is not seen commonly in Indian population. We present here a case report of infection with H. diminuta in a young boy from a rural area of the North India

Prevalence and Antibiogram of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolated from Various Clinical Specimens: A Cross-sectional Study from a Rural Teaching Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Haryana, India

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen because of its adaptive nature and a well-known cause of both community and hospital acquired infections. Varied prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern has been observed due to several reasons. Multidrug Resistant (MDR) P.aeruginosa is a global concern. Aim: To find out the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of P.aeruginosa isolates obtained from various clinical samples from a rural teaching tertiary care hospital in Nalhar (Nuh), Haryana, India. Materials and Methods: This was a one year cross-sectional study done in Department of Microbiology, SHKM GMC, Nalhar, Haryana, India from February 2019 to January 2020. On the total 6306 samples were collected and processed. The isolates were processed and identified by standard microbiological techniques. Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) was done by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Metallo-Beta-Lactamase (MBL) detection in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was done by epsilometer-test. Bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square statistics. Statistically significant association was set with p-value <0.05. Results: Total of 170 P.aeruginosa isolates were received,among which 100 (58.82%) isolates were from male patients and remaining 70 (41.18%) from female patients. The age of patients infected with P.aeruginosa ranges from ≤20 years to ≤60 years with the mean age 33.6 years. P.aeruginosa was isolated in 170 (2.7%) out of total 6306 samples received in the bacteriology laboratory during the study period. It was significantly observed among indoor patients, elderly (>60 years), and had undergone any invasive procedure. Antibiotic sensitivity patterns of P.aeruginosa isolates were colistin and polymixin B (98.82%), imipenem, meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactum (70%), amikacin (64.12%), gentamycin (48.82%), ciprofloxacin (54.12%) cefepime (54.71%), ceftazidime (38.24%). The most common specimen source for both MBL P.aeruginosa (PA) and non MBL PA was pus (75.61% and 53.49%). MDR was shown by (42.35%) isolates. All the MBL producers (100%) were MDR in comparison to of non MBL producers (24%). Conclusion: This study would help to formulate the antibiotic guidelines and guide the physician in patient management which in turn has a great impact in preventing the mortality and morbidity associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections

Hearing Health Practices and Beliefs among over 20 year-olds in the Omani Population

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate hearing health practices and beliefs among people over 20 years old in the Omani population. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Oman during 2007–2008. Arabic speaking health staff interviewed a total of 598 selected people from urban and rural Oman and also industrial workers using a closed ended questionnaire with 15 questions. Participants’ responses to the hearing practice related questions were graded into excellent (≥20 points), average (10 to 19) and poor (&lt;10 points). The responses to the questions about hearing beliefs were grouped into excellent (≥25 points), good (5 to 24), average (-4 to 4), poor (-24 to -5) and very poor (&lt;-25) grades. We calculated the frequencies, percentage proportions and 95% confidence intervals of the different grades of beliefs and hearing practice. The rates were also compared among different subgroups. We performed regression analysis to identify predictors of good hearing practice and scientific beliefs. Results: Among the 598 participants, an ‘excellent’ grade of hearing practice and belief was noted in 386 (64.5% [95% CI 60.7–68.4]) and average in 205 (34.3% [95% CI 29.5 – 37.1]). Being in the 20 to 39 years age group (OR =1.67) and an urban resident (OR= 0.53) were both predictors of an excellent grade of hearing practice, while male gender (OR = 1.71) and illiteracy (OR= 1.80) were predictors of scientific beliefs. Conclusion: We noted high levels of good hearing practice and low levels of modern scientific beliefs among Omani participants. The Ear Health Care program of Oman should focus on improving the knowledge about healthy hearing so that attitudes and hearing practices are improved and noise-induced hearing loss can be prevented or delayed.