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Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) for the treatment of fungal keratitis. Methods: Patients with fungal keratitis confirmed by potassium hydroxide (KOH) smear and/or confocal microscopy were administered topical L-AMB and randomized into three groups treated with three different formulations. The medication was administered two hourly till clinical improvement was achieved, followed by six hourly till complete resolution. The outcome measures were time to clinical improvement, resolution of epithelial defect, stromal infiltrate, hypopyon, extent and density of corneal opacity, neovascularization, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 3 months. Results: Mean age of the patients was 46.6 ± 14.8 years, and trauma with vegetative matter was the most common predisposing factor. Aspergillus flavus (36%) was the most common fungus cultured, followed by Fusarium (23%). Mean time to clinical improvement, time to resolution of epithelial defect, mean time to resolution of infiltrate, and time to resolution of hypopyon were 3.45 ± 1.38, 25.35 ± 8.46, 37.97 ± 9.94, and 13.33 ± 4.90 days, respectively, and they were comparable among the three groups. There was a significant difference between treatment failure and success cases in terms of days of presentation (P < 0.01), size of the epithelial defect (P-value 0.04), and infiltrate size at presentation (P-value 0.04). At 3 months follow-up, no statistically significant difference was noted in BCVA and mean scar size among groups. Conclusion: L-AMB in a gel form is an effective antifungal agent that promotes the healing of fungal ulcers with notably least vascularization and better tolerance. Trial registration number: CTRI/2020/04/024550

Introduction: Patients on central lines are often having multiple morbidities, and invasive devices provide a niche for biofilm formation, which makes central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), a serious concern in health-care settings, as the infections difficult to treat. In this study, we evaluated the common bacteria causing CLABSI, and various patient and pathogen factors affecting the clinical outcome. Methods: In the prospective observational study, patients diagnosed with CLABSI were recruited. Extensive clinical, microbiological, and other laboratory workup was done, and observations were recorded. Congo red agar method, tube test, and microtiter plate assay were used for eliciting the biofilm-forming attributes of the bacterial pathogens. Results: Klebsiella pneumoniae was responsible for 48% of CLABSI, followed by Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (16%) and Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii (12% each). Fifty-six percent of the isolates produced biofilms. The median (interquartile range) duration of hospital stay till death or discharge was 30 (20, 43) days. The all-cause mortality was 44%. Patients having a deranged liver function on the day of diagnosis (P value for total bilirubin 0.001 and for aspartate transaminase 0.02), and those infected with multidrug-resistant organisms (P value = 0.04) had significantly poor prognosis. The difference in the demographic, clinical, laboratory profile, and outcome of patients infected with biofilm producers and nonproducers was not found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The study throws light on various host and pathogen factors determining the cause and outcome of CLABSI patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study trying to decipher the role of biofilm formation in the virulence of pathogens and the prognosis of CLABSI.

Purpose: To analyze the pattern of bacterial pathogens causing infective keratitis and their resistance to the recommended antibiotics over six years. Methods: It was a retrospective study of 9,357 cases of bacterial keratitis from January 2015 to December 2020, at a tertiary care ophthalmic center. A total of 9,547 corneal specimens were obtained from the study subjects. Demographic details of the patients, pathogenic bacteria isolated, and their antimicrobial susceptibility were noted and analyzed. Results: Bacterial pathogens were identified in 23.52% of the specimens. The most common isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococci (60.75%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14.23%), Staphylococcus aureus (13.92%), gram negative bacilli of the family Enterobacterales (8.64%), Streptococcus spp. (1.72%), Acinetobacter spp. (0.13%), and other non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli (0.57%). In Staphylococci, 55–80% of isolates were resistant to erythromycin, and 40–70% to fluoroquinolones, while no resistance was observed against vancomycin. 40–60% of isolates of P. aeruginosa were resistant to cephalosporins, 40–55% to fluoroquinolones, and 30–60% to aminoglycosides. Also, 40–80% of isolates of Enterobacterales were resistant to cephalosporins, and 50–60% to fluoroquinolones. Most gram-negative isolates were susceptible to carbapenems and polymyxin B. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, our study is the largest compilation of microbiological profile of bacterial keratitis from North India. It highlights the current trend of the bacterial pathogens that cause infectious keratitis. Staphylococci and Pseudomonas were found to be the most common pathogens. Increased resistance was seen against some of the commonly prescribed empirical antibiotics. Such evidence is useful for restructuring the empirical prescription practices from time to time.

Objective: Dealing with severe blood stream infections (BSI) is one of the intractable conditions in hospitals. The empirical treatment given remains pertinent in determining patient outcome, which becomes evidence based when substantiated by knowledge of susceptibility patterns of prevalent pathogenic organisms in the set up. This study was undertaken to determine the occurrence, species prevalence, and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of laboratory confirmed BSI (LCBSI) in patients admitted to our multi-specialty sanatorium. Materials and Methods : Eight hundred and forty-six blood samples from 829 patients suspected of having BSI were cultured as per standard microbiological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done for bacterial isolates from positive blood cultures. Results: Sixty (7.2%) cases were established as LCBSI. A total of eight pathogenic bacterial genera were identified and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was noted. Staphylococcus spp. were most prevalent (33%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20%), Escherichia coli (13%), Acinetobacter spp. (13%), Enterococcus spp. (12%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3%), Proteus spp. (2%), and Citrobacter spp. (2%). Conclusions: The study shows the prevalence of common bacterial pathogens causing BSI and their susceptibility patterns. Such studies provide benefit of instantaneous choice of antibiotic therapy aiming at improved patient management and reduced drug resistance.

Objective: Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC), commonly called pink eye, saw an alarming increase in incidence from July to September 2023 in different parts of India. Pink eye occurrences had reportedly increased three to four times more than in prior years, raising concerns among the community and healthcare professionals. This study aimed to identify the aetiological agent associated with AHC in 2023, genetically characterize the agent and describe the clinical presentation. Methods: From July to September 2023, 300 ocular and throat swab samples were collected from patients with AHC across various regions of India, including Maharashtra, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Lucknow, and Hyderabad. These samples represented a diverse geographic spread of the condition. The swabs were examined for qRT-PCR analyses, to detect adenovirus and enterovirus. Following this, conserved regions within the enteroviral 5′-UTR and VP2/3 C gene were further investigated for serotype identification. Results: Enterovirus was found in 52.6 % (158 out of 300) of the patients. Among the enterovirus-positive samples, coxsackievirus-A24 was present in every positive sample. Conclusion: The rise in AHC cases in India in 2023 was attributed to the Coxsackievirus-A24 strain GIV C5.

Introduction: To analyse the fungal culture results of patients with fungal keratitis over sixteen years and look for variations in the trends over years and distribution across ages, gender and seasons. Materials and methods: Clinical and demographic records and microbiology reports of 18,898 patients of fungal keratitis from 2001 to 2016 were analysed. Results: Overall fungal culture positivity was 21.5%. 67.3% were males and 32.7% were females. Maximum numbers of samples (17.9%) were received from age group 41–50 years, and maximum fungal culture positivity was seen in age group 31–40 years (30.8%). Most common fungus was Aspergillus species (31.1%), followed by Fusarium species (24.5%), Alternaria (10.5%), Curvularia (10.2%), Helminthosporium (5.7%), Bipolaris (5.4%), Penicillium (4.5%), Candida (4.4%), Acremonium (1.2%), Rhizopus (1.0%), Paecilomyces (0.8%), Rhodotorula (0.5%) and Mucor (0.2%). Fungal culture positivity and relative frequency of fungi remained almost stable over the study duration, except Rhodotorula spp, which showed a rise 2014 onwards. Highest numbers of culture proven fungal keratitis cases were seen in monsoon season. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, our study is the largest compilation of epidemiological and microbiological features of fungal keratitis, throwing light on important attributes relevant to management of mycotic keratitis patients. Keywords: Keratomycosis, Fungal culture, Corneal scraping, Pathogenic fungi