BackgroundMethicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major human pathogen associated with nosocomial and community infections. Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is considered one of the important virulence factors of S. aureus responsible for destruction of white blood cells, necrosis and apoptosis and as a marker of community acquired MRSA. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of PVL genes among MRSA isolates and to check the reliability of PVL as marker of community acquired MRSA isolates from Western Nepal.MethodsA total of 400 strains of S. aureus were collected from clinical specimens and various units (Operation Theater, Intensive Care Units) of the hospital and 139 of these had been confirmed as MRSA by previous study. Multiplex PCR was used to detect mecA and PVL genes. Clinical data as well as antimicrobial susceptibility data was analyzed and compared among PVL positive and negative MRSA isolates.ResultsOut of 139 MRSA isolates, 79 (56.8 %) were PVL positive. The majority of the community acquired MRSA (90.4 %) were PVL positive (Positive predictive value: 94.9 % and negative predictive value: 86.6 %), while PVL was detected only in 4 (7.1 %) hospital associated MRSA strains. None of the MRSA isolates from hospital environment was found positive for the PVL genes. The majority of the PVL positive strains (75.5 %) were isolated from pus samples. Antibiotic resistance among PVL negative MRSA isolates was found higher as compared to PVL positive MRSA.ConclusionOur study showed high prevalence of PVL among community acquired MRSA isolates. Absence of PVL among MRSA isolates from hospital environment indicates its poor association with hospital acquired MRSA and therefore, PVL may be used a marker for community acquired MRSA. This is first study from Nepal, to test PVL among MRSA isolates from hospital environment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1531-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Hypertension, a global public health issue, is a major risk factor for NCDs like stroke, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. If Hypertension is detected early it is possible to minimize the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke and kidney failure. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hypertension among the age group of >18 years in a rural community of Salem iii. To determine the association between hypertension and selected variables like age, sex, tobacco intake, alcohol intake, physical activity, Body mass index (BMI) and waist hip ratio iv. To assess the level of awareness, treatment and control of hypertensionMethods: A Cross-sectional study was done in a rural community of Salem, Tamil Nadu during March-December 2016 among individuals aged ≥18 years. The final calculated sample size was 256. Convenience sampling method was used. Participants were interviewed using a structured interview schedule, their BP was measured and anthropometric measurements were taken. Hypertension was defined according to JNC VIII criteria. Data entry and analysis was done using IBM SPSS version-21 software. Results: Out of the 442 eligible persons approached 420 persons consented to participate. Prevalence of hypertension was 34%. About 16% of the respondents had never measured their BP in their life time. Increase in age, male gender, increase in BMI levels, tobacco and alcohol were found to be significant independent predictors of hypertension. Awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were found to be 31%, 23.2% and 11.2% respectively. Conclusions: Prevalence of hypertension was high but awareness was poor. It is recommended to advice the community about the risk factors of hypertension and regular BP check-up should be done among the community for early detection of hypertension and also for preventing complications.

Personal hygiene is the science of healthy-living of an individual. Personal hygiene includes all those personal factors, which influence the health and wellbeing of an individual. It comprises of bathing, clothing, washing hands, care of nails, feet and teeth, personal appearance and inculcation of clean habits. 1 Water borne diseases are diseases that are acquired by drinking contaminated water either by pathogens or toxic substances. It includes diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, polio, arsenicosis etc. 2 Approximately 3.1% of deaths (1.7 million) and 3.7% of DALYs (54.2 million) worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, poor sanitation and poor personal hygiene (WASH related diseases like diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid). In developing countries in South East Asia 4-8% of all disease burden is attributable to these factors. 3