Baseline antibody titres against Salmonella typhi in apparently asymptomatic HIV positive individuals

BackgroundEnteric fever is common in tropical regions and is caused by Salmonella enterica serotype typhi (S typhi). For diagnosis of enteric fever, the Widal test is the most widely used test after blood culture. In HIV infected individuals false positive and false negative Widal reactions are common. The result is variable titres and baseline titres that are unusual in this patient population. AimsThis study was done to determine the baseline antibody titres for S typhi among HIV infected individuals.MethodAverage baseline antibody titres against O and H antigens of S typhi were measured by standard Widal test in 200 HIV positive asymptomatic individuals, as well as 200 age and sex-matched controls. The results were compiled and statistically analysed.ResultsA total of 84 (42%) of the cases had an H antibody titre of >1:20 and 105 (52.5%) had a titre of >1:20 against O antigen. This implies that positive titre of H and O antigen is significantly associated with HIV positive cases with

A rare case of onychomycosis in all 10 fingers of an immunocompetent patient

Onychomycosis, traditionally referred as a non-dermatophytic infection of the nail, is now used as a general term to denote any fungal nail infection. It is an important public health problem due to its increasing incidence and has significant clinical consequences in addition to serving as a reservoir of infection. We report a case of Onychomycosis in all 10 fingers of an immunocompetent male with no co-morbid conditions caused by a non-dermatophytic fungus, Aspergillus niger. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of its kind to be reported

Community-acquired Escherichia coli meningitis with ventriculitis in an adult—a rare case report

Abstract Background Community-acquired gram-negative bacillary meningitis is rare to occur without preexisting conditions like trauma, organ dysfunction, and immunocompromised state, and very few case reports with Escherichia coli have been described in literature till now. Presence of ventriculitis along with meningitis makes the incidence further sparse. Case presentation A review of literature identified a total of only 45 community-acquired E. coli meningitis from 1945 till to date. Here, we have described a case of community-acquired E. coli meningitis with ventriculitis in an adult with past history of completely repaired CSF leak secondary to trauma nearly 23 years ago, without current radiological evidence of persistent CSF leak and therefore described as spontaneously acquired. Post-contrast T1 images of MRI were suggestive of subtle ependymal enhancement of ventricles, and patient was treated in lines of ventriculitis. Initial CSF was suggestive of acute pyogenic meningitis, and the organism grown was pan-sensitive E. coli. Patient was treated with antibiotics according to the culture sensitivity pattern and was given a prolonged course of 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy in view of ventriculitis. Conclusion Community-acquired E. coli meningitis with possible ventriculitis in adults is described as a rare entity and is likely to be underrated and under-recognized

Not always a commensal: A case of mastitis by Corynebacterium amycolatum

Gram positive rods seen on Gram’s stain are often dismissed as skin commensal organisms. Diphtheroids (Non-diphtherial Corynebacterium species), as they are collectively called, are taken as harmless bystanders in a skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). However, emerging evidence has established virulence factors in some of these species leading to various infections.Here, we describe a case of mastitis in a 43 year old female caused by Corynebacterium amycolatum. The organism was seen as thick Gram positive rods on Gram stain and was isolated as a pure growth on Blood agar. Identification was done on Vitek-2 and confirmed by matrix assisted laser desorption-ionization - Time-offlight (MALDI-TOF). Patient was managed successfully with surgical excision and antibiotics

Correlation between histopathological and endoscopic findings of non-malignant gastrointestinal lesions: an experience of a tertiary care teaching hospital from Northern India

Background: Gastrointestinal tract endoscopy along with biopsy is an established procedure for investigating a wide range of gastrointestinal conditions especially inflammatory and malignant diseases. The aim was to study and categorizing the morphological lesions of non-malignant origin at various sites of gastrointestinal tract and to compare with its endoscopic findings.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 280 benign GI biopsies received in the Department of Pathology of Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India.Results: Maximum cases (39%) were observed in the age group of 41-60 years. Male patients outnumbered the females (male to female ratio was 1.4:1). There were total 33 esophageal biopsies amongst which the most common lesion was non-specific esophagitis with least common being Barrett’s esophagus. Correlating the results of endoscopic and histopathological features of acute and chronic gastritis a positive predictive value of 80% with sensitivity of 44.4% was seen. Total 83 duodenal biopsies were analyzed with non-specific duodenitis being the most commonly diagnosed lesion followed by celiac disease. Correlation of endoscopic and histopathological findings in celiac disease revealed a sensitivity of 50% and positive predictive value of 42.86%. In both sigmoid colon and rectum, non-specific colitis was the commonest diagnosis followed by ulcerative colitis. Endoscopic findings were correlated with the histopathological features in ulcerative colitis, revealing a sensitivity of 57.14% along with the positive predictive value of 80%.  Conclusion: Histopathology remains the gold standard for diagnosing a case along with endoscopic findings and endoscopic findings alone cannot make the final diagnosis.</p