Background and Purpose: More than 300 Fusarium species are grouped into approximately 23 species complexes out of which around 70 are involved in human infections. The nomenclature of these species has undergone considerable changes in recent years. These species cause localized infections in individuals while inducing systemic infections mainly in immunocompromised patients. The present study was conducted to identify Fusarium species in clinical isolates by molecular methods and determine their in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) patterns to address the lack of data in this domain in Northern India.Materials and Methods: For the purpose of the study, Fusarium isolates obtained from various clinical samples were sent to the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands, for molecular identification. The MIC testing was performed using the microbroth dilution method as per the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute reference method (M38-A2).Results: Fusarium was isolated from 33 patients (i.e., 1, 1, 2, 14, and 15 cases with endophthalmitis, sinusitis, pulmonary involvement, onychomycosis, and keratitis, respectively). These 33 isolates belonged to three species complexes, namely F. solani species complex (FSSC; n=13), F. fujikuroi species complex (FFSC; n=13), and F. incarnatum equiseti species complex (FIESC; n=7). The species identified within FSSC, FFSC, and FIESC included F. keratoplasticum (n=6)/F. falciforme (n=6)/F. solani (n=1), F. proliferatum (n=7)/F. sacchari (n=5)/F. anthophilum (n=1), and F. incarnatum SC species (n=6)/F. equiseti SC species (n=1), respectively. The MIC results showed that all isolates had a lower MIC against amphotericin B than against the other antifungal agents.Conclusion: Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment will facilitate the improvement of patient outcomes.

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The two most common filamentous fungi causing mycotic keratitis are Aspergillus and Fusarium spp. Around 70 Fusarium spp. are involved in causing human infections. In this study, four cases of keratitis in sugarcane farmers in India are being reported, caused by the sugar cane pathogen Fusarium sacchari, a species of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. Fusarial keratitis was established by potassium hydroxide/Calcofluor white wet mounts and fungal culture of corneal scrapings on conventional media. Final identification was done by genetic sequencing at CBS-KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands. The antifungal susceptibility testing was done using broth microdilution method as per CLSI document M38-A2. Four cases of F. sacchari keratitis were identified. Three of them had trauma with sugarcane leaves, whereas one sugarcane farmer reported trauma by vegetative matter. The morphological similarities among various Fusarium species warrant use of molecular methods for identification of cryptic species. A wide distribution of sugarcane farming could be the possible explanation for emergence of F. sacchari keratitis in India.

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Background: Considering the diverse socio-economic and demographic factors in a vast country like India, it is important to study the long-term trends of hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E (HEV) viruses. This study describes their seroprevalence and long-term trends in a tertiary care center of North India. Methods: The present retrospective observational study was conducted over a period of 8 years (January 2011–December 2018). Serological testing was done for detecting IgM antibodies against HAV and HEV using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: A total of 5319 samples were received during the study period, of which 903 (16.9%) were reactive for anti-HAV IgM antibodies and 795 (14.9%) were reactive for anti-HEV IgM antibodies. Majority of the cases occurred from June to October while HEV cases had a constant presence during the later years. Among HAV group, 534 (59.1%) were children, 336 (37.2%) were adults, and 33 (3.7%) were pregnant females. In HEV group, 632 (79.5%) were adults, 114 (14.3%) were pregnant females, whereas only 49 (6.2%) were children. Among those who were co-infected ( n = 87), 48 (55.2%) were adults, 22 (25.3%) were pregnant females, and the rest 17 (19.5%) were children. Conclusions: The shift in seroprevalence toward adults, along with an increasing trend of the number of cases reporting to the hospital, warrants active surveillance of HAV. Similarly, screening protocols for HEV should be set up as part of the antenatal management for early detection of the cases among pregnant females.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaigns are trying to curb the pandemic by vaccinating as many individuals and as quickly as possible. The speed of immunization depends upon the availability of the vaccine and vaccine uptake by the communities, which in turn is related to vaccine hesitancy, the safety/efficacy profile of the vaccines, and adverse events following immunization (AEFI) Objectives: (i) To study the AEFI experienced by vaccine recipients and (ii) to assess the subjective effect of these AEFI on the vaccine recipients, that is, perceived disability and opinion regarding taking the vaccine’s second dose Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital where a questionnaire was distributed to the medical students who had taken at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine Results: Out of 208 participants, more than three-quarters ( n = 169, 81.2%) experienced AEFI symptoms within 12 hours of vaccination. The commonest symptoms were pain at the injection site ( n = 173, 83.2%), body aches ( n = 91, 43.8%), fever ( n = 88, 42.3%), weakness ( n = 86, 41.3%), and headache ( n = 72, 34.6%). A majority of the participants reported complete recovery within 13–24 hours. Complete recovery was seen in all the study participants, and no serious event was seen. Twenty (10%) participants reported that they were not confident in taking the second dose of the vaccine Conclusions: The disability perceived by the vaccine recipients should be taken into consideration in a vaccine with a multi-dose schedule. Pitfalls in alleviating the immunization-related anxiety should be identified and addressed.

Haryana (9921) Punjab (10 439) Kerala (19 994) Rajasthan (9587) Rajasthan (12 664) West Bengal (8516) Odisha (8380) Karnataka (17 844) Gujarat (7579) Maharashtra (12 374) Gujarat (5590) Gujarat (8028) Punjab (15 398) Delhi (7136) Telangana (12 072) meticulous interpretation of the laboratory investigations will be required in the upcoming dengue season in India for prompt isolation and appropriate management of the patients.

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