Background: Acinetobacter species has emerged as a significant hospital pathogen, and are becoming        increasingly drug resistance. They cause outbreaks in intensive care units and health care units. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter spp isolated from various clinical samples collected from patients admitted in various wards and intensive care units of the hospital over a period of one year (March 2018 to Feb 2019).   Results: Out of 2,623 samples, 1,201(45.78%) yielded significant growth and out of these positive cultures, 138(11.49%) Acinetobacter spp were isolated. Majority of isolates 24(17.39%) were isolated from General intensive care unit (GICU). Maximum sensitivity of Acinetobacter spp was seen towards polymyxin B 138(100%) and colistin 138(100%), followed by tigecycline 127(92.02%). Hundred and one (80.43%) isolates were found to be multidrug resistant.   Conclusions: Acinetobacter isolates showed multidrug resistant pattern mostly in inpatients. To avoid resistance, antibiotics should be used judiciously. There is also an urgent need for emphasizing the       importance of hand washing and use of disinfectants in prevention of transmission of infection in health care setup. Keywords: Acinetobacter spp; prevalence; antibiotic resistance; intensive care units; multidrug           resistance.

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are important public health problem and are globally endemic. These parasites are responsible for the major share of morbidity and mortality in those communities where there is overcrowding, poor environmental sanitation and personal hygienic practices. Intestinal parasitic infection is highly prevalent among the general population in Nepal. This study was aimed to evaluate the burden of the intestinal parasitic infections and the pattern of distributions among patients attending in a tertiary care setting in Bharatpur, Nepal, over a period of one year (August 2017 to July 2018). Methods: Stool samples of patients received in the Microbiology laboratory, COMS that were subjected for routine stool investigations were included in this study. Naked eye physical examination, microscopic examination was carried out and parasites were identified in the received stool samples. The results were recorded, and data were entered into excel spreadsheet 2007. The percentages of the parasites present were calculated to find out the frequency and distribution. Results: A total of 1,558 fresh stool samples were screened, of which 20.60% (n=321) were positive for various intestinal parasites. Overall, helminthic infections (81.30%) were higher than protozoal infections (18.70%). On the whole, Ascaris lumbricoides showed higher prevalence (39.56%) followed by Ancylostoma duodenale (19.31%) and Giardia lamblia (9.97%).  17(1.09%) of the samples showed more than one parasite. Highest prevalence was seen in age group 15 to 25 years of age (27.40%). Conclusions: Parasitic infection is endemic. Apart from the early diagnosis and effective treatment, health education is a requisite to control infections in this area and awareness of sanitation to reduce and control parasitic infection.

Introduction: With little to no research done that sheds light on the COVID-19 pandemic in the Mid-Western region of Nepal, this study attempts to educate the general populace and concerned authorities on the impact of the pandemic in the region.Materials and Methods: Patients presenting at Rapti Academy of Health Sciences between 14 May 2020 to December 21, 2020, diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the study. These patients were reviewed for age, sex, address, recent travel history, and presenting symptoms.Results: A total of 3895 COVID -19 positive individuals were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 33.6 ± 13.8 years, a majority (49.5%) of the cases were in the 20-29 years age group. 73.7% were male. 82.9% of the patients were from Dang, 86% of the cases of Dang were from urban areas, and the districts bordering India accounted for 88.5% of cases. Most of the positive patients were asymptomatic (97.1%), Amongst the symptomatic cases, the most frequent clinical manifestation was both fever and cough. 8.5% of the patients also reported travel history, of which a majority had returned from India.Conclusions: The patients were mostly young males belonging to the economically active age group who were mostly affected by COVID-19 in Mid-Western Nepal. It is important to carry out age-group targeted testing to flatten the infection curve. Testing must be done irrespective of observable symptoms to overcome this public health emergency.