Isolation, speciation, and antibiogram of clinically relevant non-diphtherial Corynebacteria (Diphtheroids)

Purpose: Coryneform or the non-diphtherial Corynebacterium species largely remains a neglected group with the traditional consideration of these organisms as contaminants. This concept, however, is slowly changing in the light of recent observations. This study has been done to find out the species distribution and antibiogram of various members of the clinically relevant Coryneform group, isolated from various clinical materials. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fourteen non-duplicate isolates of diphtheroids from various clinical isolates were selected for the study. The isolates were identified to the species level by using a battery of tests; and antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by using a combination of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) guidelines, in the absence of definitive CLSI guidelines. Results: Corynebacterium amycolatum was the predominant species (35.9%) in our series followed by the CDC Group G organisms (15.7%). Each of the remaining 19 species comprised of less than 10% of the isolates. More than half the total isolates were resistant to the penicillins, erythromycin, and clindamycin; while excellent activity (all the strains being susceptible) was shown by vancomycin, linezolid, and tigecycline. Chloramphenicol and tetracycline also had good activity in inhibiting more than 80% of the isolates. Multiply drug resistance was exhibited by all the species. Conclusion: This study was an attempt to establish the clinical significance of coryneform organisms. The high level of resistance shown by this group to some of the common antibacterial agents highlights the importance of processing these isolates in select conditions to guide the clinicians towards an appropriate therapy

Burden of hepatitis C virus infection and its genotypes among the blood donors at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Background: Safe blood donation remains a challenge in resource limited countries. False positive serological tests lead to wastage of large number of blood units. Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) technology has greatly enhanced the accuracy in identification of transfusions transmitted infections. Methods: The present study was undertaken to study the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and asses the concordance between seropositivity with the presence of HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) and to know the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes in healthy blood donors. Results: Among the 9287 donors screened (88.3% males), 7153 (77%) were voluntary donors while 2134 (23%) were replacement donors. Among blood donors, 27 (0.3%) samples tested HCV seropositive. Among 27 anti-HCV positive samples only 11 (41%) were found positive for HCV RNA. Among the 5 samples subjected to sequencing, three were found to be genotype 1a while two were genotype 3a. Conclusions: Our observations suggest that implementing NAAT test for HCV screening will be helpful in minimizing false-positive test results in the Indian setting

Comparison of Radiation Doses and Best-Practice Use for Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in US and Non-US Laboratories: Findings From the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Nuclear Cardiology Protocols Study

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Estimating the Reduction in the Radiation Burden From Nuclear Cardiology Through Use of Stress-Only Imaging in the United States and Worldwide

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