Background: The recent years have witnessed the increasing resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to many antimicrobial agents. The most notable example is the emergence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which was reported just one year after the launch of methicillin. The ecological niches of the S. aureus strains are the anterior nares. The identification of Staphylococcus aureus by using a proper antibiogram and the detection of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus greatly contribute towards the effective treatment of the patients. Aims and Objectives:To isolate Staphylococcus aureus from the nasal swabs of healthcare workers (HCWs) and to study their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, which include methicillin resistance. Materials and Methods:Nasal swabs were collected from the healthcare workers of various clinical departments of the hospital over a period of one year. The isolation of Staphylococcus aureus and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were carried out by standard bacteriological procedures. Results:Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 70 cases (22.22%). The prevalence of the S.aureus nasal carriage was higher among the male HCWs (54.28%) than among the female HCWs (45.71%). The carriage rate was the highest in the orthopaedics department, followed by those in the surgery and the gynaecology departments. All the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid (100%). Penicillin and ampicillin were the most resistant, (90% and 88.6%) respectively. Methicillin resistance was seen in11.43% of the S.aureus isolates, both by the disc diffusion test and by the Oxacillin Resistance Screen Agar (ORSA) test.

Dengue Fever (DF), Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) are topmost public health concerns today, especially in tropical and subtropical countries, mainly involving urban and semi-urban areas. It is estimated that two fifth of the population in tropical countries, around 2.5 billion people are vulnerable. Approximately, 50 million dengue infections occur worldwide of which 500,000 people are hospitalized with DHF annually. Nearly 90 percent of them are children less than five years old, and about 2.5 percent die. Dengue epidemics are occurring at an increased frequency and one or more types of serotypes circulate. During these epidemics, infection rate among virus naïve patients ranges from 40-90 percent. In India, Dengue is hyperendemic (Category A) and is a notifiable infectious disease. Our hospital has been identified as a Sentinel Surveillance centre for diagnosis and treatment of Dengue in North West district of Delhi. Though gaps exist in terms of public health measures and health education among public, microbiological laboratory plays a crucial role in confirmation of dengue infection and estimation of burden of disease.

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Resurgence of nonalbicans Candida spp. was observed thrice at the same location in our hospital over a period of four years. In two of these outbreaks it was identified up to the molecular level as Candida krusei. This fungus was traced to some environmental source in all three episodes. Prompt infection control measures were initiated which helped to control the outbreak every time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first series of recurring Candida krusei infections at the same site in a hospital with successful control of each episode.

Bacteremia due to Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in India, but studies targeting the source of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia are lacking. S. aureus has a vivid armamentarium consisting of toxins, adhesins, and other virulence factors by virtue of which it can cause varied types of infections, sometimes of a serious nature. This review highlights the possible causes of S. aureus bacteremia, and discusses the necessity of tracing its source and eliminating it with proper antibiotic therapy to avoid recurrences or relapses.

Introduction: Blood culture is the gold standard for diagnosis of bacteremia. It identifies the pathogen and allows susceptibility testing. Objective: To identify Blood stream infections (BSI) which are critical and may prove fatal if not treated promptly. Material and Methods:This was a retrospective study done at our institution to identify the prevalent microbial agents causing infections in hospitalized patients. A total of 1521 blood cultures were processed. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed for clinically significant isolates. Results: Of total cultures, 16.1% were positive for bacterial growth and 3.1%for fungal growth. Conclusion: Local microbiological profile with antibiogram of frequently isolated organisms should be known to limit the severity of disease and initiate empiric treatment for blood stream infections.

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Tuberculosis is a disease of varied presentations. In endemic countries, the diagnosis is usually made by exclusion. It is caused by an intracellular bacterium, which stimulates and represses the immune system simultaneously by means of different cytokines. A delicate balance between the pro-inflammatory and the anti-inflammatory stimuli is required for effective containment of infection with minimal host cell damage. Antitubercular therapy may offset this balance by killing the pathogen and releasing new antigens in the locally infected tissue. Heightened immunological response seen after initiation of therapy caused exacerbation or appearance of new symptoms. Two cases of immunocompetent young adults have been presented to highlight the paradoxical response to antitubercular therapy and immunological basis of such reactions. Paradoxical response to therapy should be recognized and managed effectively and unnecessary or invasive investigations should be avoided.