ABSTRACT
Background: India, being a country where fungal infections are rampant, is urgently in need of effective tools for early and accurate diagnosis of fungal infections. Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is a recent method which has shown potential in identifying clinically important bacterial pathogens as well as clinically important fungi. The main objective of this study was to compare the utility of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of fungi against that of conventional methods.Methods: The project was carried out in a tertiary care government hospital in India. Fifty clinical isolates comprising mainly various yeast species were subjected to conventional identification (Phenotypic) as well as MALDI-TOF-MS. Their results were further compared.Results: MALDI-TOF MS showed a high concordance with conventional methods while identifying species like C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. neoformans, although the concordance for species such as Rhodotorula and Trichosporon could only be matched up to genus level.Conclusions: MALDI-TOF MS-based identification is both a rapid and a viable tool for identification of clinically relevant yeast species with good correlation to conventional methods and a quick turnaround time.
ABSTRACT
IntroductionNosodes, the homeopathicpreparationssourcedfrom biological materials including clinical samples, cultures of organisms, and diseased tissues have been in use against the source-specific infections as well as other diseases. The nosodes have demonstrated some efficacy in managing epidemics, such as influenza, dengue, and leptospirosis.This article presents the need and process of development ofnosodes from the SARS-CoV-2 to explore its prophylactic and therapeutic potentials against certain related viral diseases.Materials and methodsA clinical sample of SARS-Cov-2 positive patient,based on the cycle threshold (CT) value of the qRT-PCR, heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2, and spike glycoprotein all were processed for making nosodesas per the method described in Homoeopathy Pharmacopoeia of India.Molecular tests, such as qRT-PCR and sterility tests were performed to establish the live organisms, RNA material, and the absence of contamination.ResultsThree variants of CoronavirusNosodewere developed using a clinical sample,heat-inactivatedSARS-CoV-2, and spike glycoprotein.In potencies 3c and above, no detectableSARS-CoV-2 RNA material was found by PCR.The analytical results for nosodes were reported as compliant for sterility testing as per the IP.ConclusionThree variants of Coronavirus nosodes were preparedwhich need to be evaluated further through pre-clinical and clinical studies.(AU)