Burden of Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever in India.

BACKGROUND: In 2017, more than half the cases of typhoid fever worldwide were projected to have occurred in India. In the absence of contemporary population-based data, it is unclear whether declining trends of hospitalization for typhoid in India reflect increased antibiotic treatment or a true reduction in infection. METHODS: From 2017 through 2020, we conducted weekly surveillance for acute febrile illness and measured the incidence of typhoid fever (as confirmed on blood culture) in a prospective cohort of children between the ages of 6 months and 14 years at three urban sites and one rural site in India. At an additional urban site and five rural sites, we combined blood-culture testing of hospitalized patients who had a fever with survey data regarding health care use to estimate incidence in the community. RESULTS: A total of 24,062 children who were enrolled in four cohorts contributed 46,959 child-years of observation. Among these children, 299 culture-confirmed typhoid cases were recorded, with an incidence per 100,000 child-years of 576 to 1173 cases in urban sites and 35 in rural Pune. The estimated incidence of typhoid fever from hospital surveillance ranged from 12 to 1622 cases per 100,000 child-years among children between the ages of 6 months and 14 years and from 108 to 970 cases per 100,000 person-years among those who were 15 years of age or older. Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi was isolated from 33 children, for an overall incidence of 68 cases per 100,000 child-years after adjustment for age. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of typhoid fever in urban India remains high, with generally lower estimates of incidence in most rural areas. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; NSSEFI Clinical Trials Registry of India number, CTRI/2017/09/009719; ISRCTN registry number, ISRCTN72938224.).

Genomic analysis unveils genome degradation events and gene flux in the emergence and persistence of S. Paratyphi A lineages.

Paratyphoid fever caused by S. Paratyphi A is endemic in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The proportion of enteric fever cases caused by S. Paratyphi A has substantially increased, yet only limited data is available on the population structure and genetic diversity of this serovar. We examined the phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary trajectory of S. Paratyphi A isolates collected as part of the Indian enteric fever surveillance study "Surveillance of Enteric Fever in India (SEFI)." In the study period (2017-2020), S. Paratyphi A comprised 17.6% (441/2503) of total enteric fever cases in India, with the isolates highly susceptible to all the major antibiotics used for treatment except fluoroquinolones. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the global S. Paratyphi A collection into seven lineages (A-G), and the present study isolates were distributed in lineages A, C and F. Our analysis highlights that the genome degradation events and gene acquisitions or losses are key molecular events in the evolution of new S. Paratyphi A lineages/sub-lineages. A total of 10 hypothetically disrupted coding sequences (HDCS) or pseudogenes-forming mutations possibly associated with the emergence of lineages were identified. The pan-genome analysis identified the insertion of P2/PSP3 phage and acquisition of IncX1 plasmid during the selection in 2.3.2/2.3.3 and 1.2.2 genotypes, respectively. We have identified six characteristic missense mutations associated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis genes of S. Paratyphi A, however, these mutations confer only a low structural impact and possibly have minimal impact on vaccine effectiveness. Since S. Paratyphi A is human-restricted, high levels of genetic drift are not expected unless these bacteria transmit to naive hosts. However, public-health investigation and monitoring by means of genomic surveillance would be constantly needed to avoid S. Paratyphi A serovar becoming a public health threat similar to the S. Typhi of today.

Genotype correlates with clinical course and outcome of children with tight junction protein 2 (TJP2) deficiency-related cholestasis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The study aimed to describe the clinical course and outcomes, and analyze the genotype-phenotype correlation in patients with tight junction protein 2 (TJP2) deficiency. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Data from all children with chronic cholestasis and either homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in TJP2 were extracted and analyzed. The patients were categorized into 3 genotypes: TJP2-A (missense mutations on both alleles), TJP2-B (missense mutation on one allele and a predicted protein-truncating mutation [PPTM] on the other), and TJP2-C (PPTMs on both alleles). A total of 278 cases of genetic intrahepatic cholestasis were studied, with TJP2 deficiency accounting for 44 cases (15.8%). Of these, 29 were homozygous and 15 were compound heterozygous variants of TJP2 . TJP2-A genotype was identified in 21 (47.7%), TJP2-B in 7 cases (15.9%), and TJP2-C in 16 cases (36.4%), respectively. Patients with the TJP2-C genotype were more likely to experience early infantile cholestasis (87.5% vs. 53.5%, p =0.033), less likely to clear jaundice (12.5% vs. 52.2%, p =0.037), more likely to develop ascites, and had higher serum bile acids. Patients with the TJP2-C genotype were more likely to die or require liver transplantation (native liver survival: 12.5% vs. 78.6%, p <0.001), with a median age at death/liver transplantation of 2.5 years. Cox regression analysis revealed that TJP2-C mutations ( p =0.003) and failure to resolve jaundice ( p =0.049) were independent predictors of poor outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the TJP2-C genotype carrying PPTMs in both alleles had a rapidly progressive course, leading to early decompensation and death if they did not receive timely liver transplantation.

Development, validation and application of single molecule molecular inversion probe based novel integrated genetic screening method for 29 common lysosomal storage disorders in India.

BACKGROUND: Current clinical diagnosis pathway for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) involves sequential biochemical enzymatic tests followed by DNA sequencing, which is iterative, has low diagnostic yield and is costly due to overlapping clinical presentations. Here, we describe a novel low-cost and high-throughput sequencing assay using single-molecule molecular inversion probes (smMIPs) to screen for causative single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variants (CNVs) in genes associated with 29 common LSDs in India. RESULTS: 903 smMIPs were designed to target exon and exon-intron boundaries of targeted genes (n = 23; 53.7 kb of the human genome) and were equimolarly pooled to create a sequencing library. After extensive validation in a cohort of 50 patients, we screened 300 patients with either biochemical diagnosis (n = 187) or clinical suspicion (n = 113) of LSDs. A diagnostic yield of 83.4% was observed in patients with prior biochemical diagnosis of LSD. Furthermore, diagnostic yield of 73.9% (n = 54/73) was observed in patients with high clinical suspicion of LSD in contrast with 2.4% (n = 1/40) in patients with low clinical suspicion of LSD. In addition to detecting SNVs, the assay could detect single and multi-exon copy number variants with high confidence. Critically, Niemann-Pick disease type C and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis-6 diseases for which biochemical testing is unavailable, could be diagnosed using our assay. Lastly, we observed a non-inferior performance of the assay in DNA extracted from dried blood spots in comparison with whole blood. CONCLUSION: We developed a flexible and scalable assay to reliably detect genetic causes of 29 common LSDs in India. The assay consolidates the detection of multiple variant types in multiple sample types while having improved diagnostic yield at same or lower cost compared to current clinical paradigm.

Resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus infection during COVID-19 pandemic in Pune, India.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory infection in children worldwide. Understanding its prevalence, variations, and characteristics is vital, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the RSV positivity rate, subtype prevalence, age and gender distribution, symptomatology, and co-infection rates during pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. METHODS: We analyzed data from 15,381 patients tested for RSV between 2017 and 2023. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a 7.2% average RSV positivity rate in the pre-pandemic period, with significant fluctuations during the pandemic (1.5% in 2020 to 32.0% in 2021). We observed variations in RSVA and RSVB detection rates. The 0-4 years' age group was consistently the most affected, with a slight male predominance. Fever and cough were common symptoms. Therapeutic interventions, particularly antiviral usage and ventilation requirements, decreased during the pandemic. We also identified variations in co-infection rates with other respiratory viruses. CONCLUSION: Our study offers critical insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on RSV prevalence, subtype distribution, patient characteristics, and clinical management. These findings underscore the need for ongoing surveillance and adaptive public health responses.

Natural course and outcomes of children with ubiquitin-specific protease 53 (USP53)-related genetic chronic cholestasis.

Ubiquitin-specific protease 53 (USP53) is essential for formation of cellular tight junctions and variations in this gene disrupt the tight junctions, resulting in cholestasis. We describe the clinical manifestations and outcomes of patients with USP53 mutations from the Indian progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis registry. All 29 patients who harbored mutations in the USP53 gene either in the homozygous, compound heterozygous, or heterozygous state and presented with cholestasis were included. USP53 variants related to cholestasis had good outcomes, with native liver survival in 82.7%, whereas 17.3% required liver transplantation. Jaundice developed in 93% and within 3 months of age in 48.8%. Jaundice resolved in 21 (72.4%). Pruritus 76% at a median age of 7 months (severe in 10/22, 45% and refractory to medical therapy in 4, 18.1%). Majority of them (82.7%) had biallelic mutations. Protein-truncating mutations were present in 20 (69%) and missense mutations in 9 (31%). No correlation was found between the genotype and the outcome.

Geographically Weighted Regression Modeling of Spatial Clustering and Determinants of Focal Typhoid Fever Incidence.

BACKGROUND: Typhoid is known to be heterogenous in time and space, with documented spatiotemporal clustering and hotspots associated with environmental factors. This analysis evaluated spatial clustering of typhoid and modeled incidence rates of typhoid from active surveillance at 4 sites with child cohorts in India. METHODS: Among approximately 24 000 children aged 0.5-15 years followed for 2 years, typhoid was confirmed by blood culture in all children with fever >3 days. Local hotspots for incident typhoid cases were assessed using SaTScan spatial cluster detection. Incidence of typhoid was modeled with sociodemographic and water, sanitation, and hygiene-related factors in smaller grids using nonspatial and spatial regression analyses. RESULTS: Hotspot households for typhoid were identified at Vellore and Kolkata. There were 4 significant SaTScan clusters (P < .05) for typhoid in Vellore. Mean incidence of typhoid was 0.004 per child-year with the highest incidence (0.526 per child-year) in Kolkata. Unsafe water and poor sanitation were positively associated with typhoid in Kolkata and Delhi, whereas drinking untreated water was significantly associated in Vellore (P = .0342) and Delhi (P = .0188). CONCLUSIONS: Despite decades of efforts to improve water and sanitation by the Indian government, environmental factors continue to influence the incidence of typhoid. Hence, administration of the conjugate vaccine may be essential even as efforts to improve water and sanitation continue.

Antibiotics for Fever Among Children: Findings From the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in India Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Acute febrile illness in children is frequently treated with antibiotics. However, the inappropriate use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. METHODS: We measured use of antibiotics for fever in 4 pediatric cohorts that were part of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in India (SEFI) network. In this network, 24 062 children were followed up weekly, capturing information on fever and other morbidity between October 2017 and December 2019. RESULTS: An antibiotic was given in 27 183 of the 76 027 (35.8%) episodes of fever. The incidence of fever-related antibiotic use was 58.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 57.2-58.6) per 100 child-years. The median time to initiation of antibiotics was 4 days, and in 65% of those who received an antibiotic it was initiated by the second day. Antibiotics were continued for <3 days in 24% of the episodes. Higher temperature, younger age, male sex, joint family, higher education, internet access, and availability of personal conveyance were associated with antibiotic treatment for fever. CONCLUSIONS: In developing countries where antibiotic use is not regulated, broad-spectrum antibiotics are initiated early, and often inappropriately, in febrile illness. Frequent and inappropriate use of antibiotics may increase risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile in Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi A: Presenting the Current Scenario in India and Strategy for Future Management.

BACKGROUND: Systematic studies to estimate the disease burden of typhoid and paratyphoid in India are limited. Therefore, a multicenter study on the Surveillance of Enteric Fever in India was carried out to estimate the incidence, clinical presentation, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trend. The data presented here represent the national burden of AMR in Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi A. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A (n = 2373) isolates collected prospectively during a 2-year period from November 2017 to January 2020. RESULTS: Of 2373 Salmonella isolates, 2032 (85.6%) were identified as S. Typhi and 341 (14.4%) were S. Paratyphi A. Approximately 2% of S. Typhi were multidrug-resistant (MDR), whereas all 341 (100%) of S. Paratyphi A isolates were sensitive to the first-line antimicrobials. Among 98% of ciprofloxacin nonsusceptible isolates, resistance (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] >0.5 µg/mL) was higher in S. Typhi (37%) compared with S. Paratyphi A (20%). Azithromycin susceptibility was 99.9% and 100% with a mean MIC of 4.98 µg/mL for S. Typhi and 7.39 µg/mL for S. Paratyphi A respectively. Ceftriaxone was the only agent that retained 100% susceptibility. Moreover, beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors showed potent in vitro activity against the study isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Data obtained from this systematic surveillance study confirms the declining trend of MDR Salmonella isolates from India. The higher prevalence of ciprofloxacin nonsusceptibility enforces to limit its use and adhere to the judicious usage of azithromycin and ceftriaxone for enteric fever management.

Prevalence and genetic diversity of gastroenteritis viruses in hospitalized children < 5 years of age in Maharashtra state, Western India, 2017-2019.

Four gastroenteritis viruses were responsible for 54% of the acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases in children hospitalized between May 2017 and December 2019 in Pune city of Maharashtra state, Western India. The majority (79%) of the children were <2 years of age. The prevalence of Rotavirus A (RVA) was 30.5% followed by 14.3% for norovirus, 8.4% for adenovirus, and 5.5% for astrovirus. The severity of the disease was highest in patients with coinfections compared with the patients with a single infection or negative for all (p = 0.024). Genotyping analysis showed that the majority of the RVA-positive samples (66%) could be typed as G3P[8], 63.6% of the norovirus as GII.4 Sydney [P16], 44% of the adenovirus as type 41%, and 56.2% of the astrovirus as astrovirus type 1. The almost equivalent prevalence of rotavirus and nonrotaviruses and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases without known etiology in around 46% of the cases was noted in the present study. Our data highlight that after the recent inclusion of rotavirus vaccines as a part of the National Immunization schedule in India, conducting extensive AGE surveillance in children should include nonrotaviruses such as norovirus.

Prediction of probability of rubella based on eye outcomes (PORBEO Nomogram)-a cross-sectional sentinel surveillance of 1134 infants.

INTRODUCTION: Rubella is an important infectious, vaccine-preventable etiology of congenital defects. The aim of the study was to develop a prediction nomogram to assess the probability of an infant being at risk for congenital rubella based on demographics and ophthalmological findings. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional sentinel surveillance study conducted at 5 centers spanning pan-India and involved 1134 infants. The diagnosis of rubella was made using standard guidelines. For the construction of the prediction model, laboratory-confirmed cases were grouped as "at-risk" (AR) infants and the discarded cases into "not at risk" (NAR) infants. Univariate analysis (p value cut-off < 0.05) followed by multivariate binary logistic regression model development was performed. RESULTS: The average (median) age of the suspected CRS infants was 3 (IQR 1-6) months, and the average (mean) age of their mothers was 25.8 ± 4.1 years. Out of the total infants, 81 (7.3%) died, 975 (88%) were alive, and 55 (5.0%) were lost to follow-up. The final model showed that the odds of cataract, retinopathy, glaucoma, microcornea, and age of the infant at presentation were 3.1 (2.2-4.3), 4.9(2.3-10.4), 2.7(1.1-5.9), 2.3(1.1-4.7), and 1.1 (1-1.1), respectively, for the AR infant as compared to NAR infant. AUC of final model was 0.68 (95% CI Delong, 0.64-0.72). Bootstrapping for calibration of the model showed satisfactory results. Nomogram, along with a web version, was developed. CONCLUSION: The developed nomogram would have a wide community-based utilization and will help in prioritizing attention to high-risk children, thereby avoiding loss to follow-up.

Serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Children Aged <5 Years Hospitalized With or Without Pneumonia in Developing and Emerging Countries: A Descriptive, Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Improving knowledge regarding Streptococcus pneumoniae distribution in pneumonia cases is important to better target preventive and curative measures. The objective was to describe S. pneumoniae serotypes in children with or without pneumonia. METHODS: It was a case-control study carried out in 8 developing and emerging countries between 2010 and 2014. Cases were children aged <5 years admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. Controls were children admitted for surgery or routine outpatient care. RESULTS: In nasopharyngeal samples, S. pneumoniae were detected in 68.2% of the cases and 47.5% of the controls (P < .001). Nasopharyngeal carriage was associated with a higher risk of being a case in 6/8 study sites (adjusted odds ratio ranged from 0.71 [95% confidence interval [CI], .39-1.29; P = .26] in India [Pune/Vadu] to 11.86 [95% CI, 5.77-24.41; P < .001] in Mongolia). The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) serotypes were more frequently detected in cases with nasopharyngeal carriage (67.1%) than in controls with nasopharyngeal carriage (54.6%), P < .001. Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected in blood by polymerase chain reaction in 8.3% of the cases. Of 34 cases with an S. pneumoniae serotype detected in blood, 27 (79%) had the same serotype in the nasopharyngeal sample. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the assumption that the isolate carrying or causing disease in an individual is of the same serotype. Most serotypes independently associated with nasopharyngeal carriage or pneumonia are covered by PCV13, suggesting that increased PCV coverage would reduce the burden of S. pneumoniae-related pneumonia.

Diarrheal Etiology and Impact of Coinfections on Rotavirus Vaccine Efficacy Estimates in a Clinical Trial of a Monovalent Human-Bovine (116E) Oral Rotavirus Vaccine, Rotavac, India.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus vaccine efficacy (VE) estimates in low-resource settings are lower than in developed countries. We detected coinfections in cases of severe rotavirus diarrhea in a rotavirus VE trial to determine whether these negatively impacted rotavirus VE estimates. METHODS: We performed TaqMan Array Card assays for enteropathogens on stools from rotavirus enzyme immunoassay-positive diarrhea episodes and all severe episodes (Vesikari score ≥11), from a phase 3 VE trial of Rotavac, a monovalent human-bovine (116E) rotavirus vaccine, carried out across 3 sites in India. We estimated pathogen-specific etiologies of diarrhea, described associated clinical characteristics, and estimated the impact of coinfections on rotavirus VE using a test-negative design. RESULTS: A total of 1507 specimens from 1169 infants were tested for the presence of coinfections. Rotavirus was the leading cause of severe diarrhea even among vaccinated children, followed by adenovirus 40/41, Shigella/enteroinvasive Escherichia coli, norovirus GII, sapovirus, and Cryptosporidium species. Bacterial coinfections in rotavirus-positive diarrhea were associated with a longer duration of diarrhea and protozoal coinfections with increased odds of hospitalization. Using the test-negative design, rotavirus VE against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis increased from 49.3% to 60.6% in the absence of coinfections (difference, 11.3%; 95% confidence interval, -10.3% to 30.2%). CONCLUSIONS: While rotavirus was the dominant etiology of severe diarrhea even in vaccinated children, a broad range of other etiologies was identified. Accounting for coinfections led to an 11.3% increase in the VE estimate. Although not statistically significant, an 11.3% decrease in VE due to presence of coinfections would explain an important fraction of the low rotavirus VE in this setting.

Dopamine ß hydroxylase (DBH) polymorphisms do not contribute towards the clinical course of Wilson's disease in Indian patients.

BACKGROUND: Wilson's disease (WD) is a rare copper metabolism disorder with hepatic and neurological symptoms. Dopamine ß hydroxylase (DBH) encodes a copper-dependent mono-oxygenase that converts dopamine to norepinephrine, thereby regulating the endogenous dopamine content in the neurons. Polymorphisms of DBH have been reported to be associated with several neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which have overlapping neurological symptoms with WD. The present study aimed to assess the role of DBH polymorphisms on the clinical course of WD. METHODS: In total, 141 WD patients from India were included in the present study. Three polymorphisms of DBH (rs1611115 in the promoter, rs1108580 in exon 2 and rs129882 in 3'-UTR) were screened for their association with the clinical attributes (hepatic and neurological features) and age of onset of WD using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphsm method and sequencing approach. The distribution of genotype or allele frequencies was tested using 2 × 2 contingency chi-squared and logistic regression analysis (additive, dominant and recessive model). RESULTS: The genotypic and allelic frequencies of these single nucleotide polymophisms did not vary significantly along with the clinical symptoms (hepatic and neurological) or the age of onset of WD. No significant association was observed when we analyzed our samples with respect to harboring different kinds of ATP7B mutations (nonsense/in-del and missense). CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained in the present study suggest that the selected DBH variants are unlikely to have any significant contribution towards modifying the clinical symptoms of Indian WD patients.

Gaucher disease: single gene molecular characterization of one-hundred Indian patients reveals novel variants and the most prevalent mutation.

BACKGROUND: Gaucher disease is a rare pan-ethnic, lysosomal storage disorder resulting due to beta-Glucosidase (GBA1) gene defect. This leads to the glucocerebrosidase enzyme deficiency and an increased accumulation of undegraded glycolipid glucocerebroside inside the cells' lysosomes. To date, nearly 460 mutations have been described in the GBA1 gene. With the aim to determine mutations spectrum and molecular pathology of Gaucher disease in India, the present study investigated one hundred unrelated patients (age range: 1 day to 31 years) having splenomegaly, with or without hepatomegaly, cytopenia and bone abnormality in some of the patients. METHODS: The biochemical investigation for the plasma chitotriosidase enzyme activity and ß-Glucosidase enzyme activity confirmed the Gaucher disease. The mutations were identified by screening the patients' whole GBA gene coding region using bidirectional Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The biochemical analysis revealed a significant reduction in the ß-Glucosidase activity in all patients. Sanger sequencing established 71 patients with homozygous mutation and 22 patients with compound heterozygous mutation in GBA1 gene. Lack of identification of mutations in three patients suggests the possibility of either large deletion/duplication or deep intronic variations in the GBA1 gene. In four cases, where the proband died due to confirmed Gaucher disease, the parents were found to be a carrier. Overall, the study identified 33 mutations in 100 patients that also covers four missense mutations (p.Ser136Leu, p.Leu279Val, p.Gly383Asp, p.Gly399Arg) not previously reported in Gaucher disease patients. The mutation p.Leu483Pro was identified as the most commonly occurring Gaucher disease mutation in the study (62% patients). The second common mutations identified were p.Arg535Cys (7% patients) and RecNcil (7% patients). Another complex mutation Complex C was identified in a compound heterozygous status (3% patients). The homology modeling of the novel mutations suggested the destabilization of the GBA protein structure due to conformational changes. CONCLUSIONS: The study reports four novel and 29 known mutations identified in the GBA1 gene in one-hundred Gaucher patients. The given study establishes p.Leu483Pro as the most prevalent mutation in the Indian patients with type 1 Gaucher disease that provide new insight into the molecular basis of Gaucher Disease in India.

Influence of Apolipoprotein E polymorphism on susceptibility of Wilson disease.

Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal-recessive disorder caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene leading to abnormal copper deposition in liver and brain. WD manifests diverse neurological and hepatic phenotypes and different age of onset, even among the siblings, with same mutational background suggesting complex nature of the disease and involvement of other candidate genes. In that context, Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and Prion Protein (PRNP) have been proposed to be potential candidates for modifying the WD phenotype and age of onset. This study aims to identify the contribution of APOE and PRNP polymorphisms on the variable phenotypic expression of Indian WD patients. A total of 171 WD patients and 291 controls from Indian population were included in this study. Two APOE cSNPs (rs429358 and rs7412) resulting in three isoforms and M129V (rs1799990) polymorphism of PRNP were examined for their association with WD and its clinical phenotypes. The APOE ԑ4 allele was found to be significantly overrepresented in WD patients compared to controls. However, the frequency of the APOE ԑ3 allele and ԑ3/ԑ3 genotype was significantly higher in WD patients without cognitive behavior impairment compared to the ones with the impairment. On the contrary, the PRNP allele representing Val129 was found to be present in higher proportion in WD patients with cognitive behavioral decline. Our data suggest that the APOE ԑ4 allele could act as a potential risk for the pathogenesis of WD. Also, APOE and PRNP might contribute toward the cognitive behavioral decline in a section of WD patients.

A randomized, controlled trial of an aerosolized vaccine against measles.

BACKGROUND: Aerosolized vaccine can be used as a needle-free method of immunization against measles, a disease that remains a major cause of illness and death. Data on the immunogenicity of aerosolized vaccine against measles in children are inconsistent. METHODS: We conducted an open-label noninferiority trial involving children 9.0 to 11.9 months of age in India who were eligible to receive a first dose of measles vaccine. Children were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of vaccine by means of either aerosol inhalation or a subcutaneous injection. The primary end points were seropositivity for antibodies against measles and adverse events 91 days after vaccination. The noninferiority margin was 5 percentage points. RESULTS: A total of 1001 children were assigned to receive aerosolized vaccine, and 1003 children were assigned to receive subcutaneous vaccine; 1956 of all the children (97.6%) were followed to day 91, but outcome data were missing for 331 children because of thawed specimens. In the per-protocol population, data on 1560 of 2004 children (77.8%) could be evaluated. At day 91, a total of 662 of 775 children (85.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 82.5 to 88.0) in the aerosol group, as compared with 743 of 785 children (94.6%; 95% CI, 92.7 to 96.1) in the subcutaneous group, were seropositive, a difference of -9.2 percentage points (95% CI, -12.2 to -6.3). Findings were similar in the full-analysis set (673 of 788 children in the aerosol group [85.4%] and 754 of 796 children in the subcutaneous group [94.7%] were seropositive at day 91, a difference of -9.3 percentage points [95% CI, -12.3 to -6.4]) and after multiple imputation of missing results. No serious adverse events were attributable to measles vaccination. Adverse-event profiles were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Aerosolized vaccine against measles was immunogenic, but, at the prespecified margin, the aerosolized vaccine was inferior to the subcutaneous vaccine with respect to the rate of seropositivity. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Measles Aerosol Vaccine Project Clinical Trials Registry-India number, CTRI/2009/091/000673.).

Sentinel Surveillance for Congenital Rubella Syndrome - India, 2016-2017.

Rubella infection during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or a constellation of congenital malformations known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The 11 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region are committed to the elimination of measles and control of rubella and CRS by 2020. Until 2016, when the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research initiated surveillance for CRS in five sentinel sites, India did not conduct systematic surveillance for CRS. During the first 8 months of surveillance, 207 patients with suspected CRS were identified. Based on clinical details and serologic investigations, 72 (34.8%) cases were classified as laboratory-confirmed CRS, four (1.9%) as congenital rubella infection, 11 (5.3%) as clinically compatible cases, and 120 (58.0%) were excluded as noncases. The experience gained during the first phase of surveillance will be useful in expanding the surveillance network, and data from the surveillance network will be used to help monitor progress toward control of rubella and CRS in India.

Estimating the incidence of enteric fever in children in India: a multi-site, active fever surveillance of pediatric cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella Typhi is responsible for about 20 million episodes of illness and over 140,000 deaths annually globally. South Asia has the highest documented burden of typhoid and is home to the multi-drug resistant H58 strain that makes treatment more challenging. The WHO recommends the use of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccines in typhoid endemic countries. Decisions on the preferred immunization strategy should be based on an analysis of disease burden, availability, affordability, and operational feasibility. Typhoid vaccines have so far remained unimplemented as public health measures because of a perceived decline in typhoid burden in recent years. The apparent decline, based on hospital reports, may be a result of rampant antimicrobial use in the community and therefore estimation of disease incidence at the community is necessary to better measure disease incidence and transmission. METHODS: Age-specific incidence of typhoid fever in children between 6 months and 15 years will be estimated in four community based cohorts in varied settings across India using standardized protocols for active fever surveillance in the community. Data will be collected on secured cloud infrastructure using a combination of android and web-based real-time data collection tools. Blood cultures will be done for children with fever lasting 3 or more consecutive days using automated blood culture systems. Those with blood-culture confirmed typhoid fever will be followed up till 90 days to estimate costs and clinical outcomes of the illness episodes. Environmental factors, access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene, food hygiene, demography, population density and socioeconomic status will be assessed periodically to characterise risk factors and permit extrapolation of burden to similar risk settings. DISCUSSION: With the availability of licensed typhoid conjugated vaccines in India, it is important to consider whether the burden of disease is present and sufficient to require the use of vaccine in addition to other interventions. Active case finding in the community permits the detection of cases that would be missed in facility-based surveillance systems. Understanding the age distribution, burden, cost-of-illness and transmission of disease is essential to plan interventions and predict their potential impact. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The surveillance has been prospectively registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India ( CTRI/2017/09/009719 ) on 12 September 2017.

Microorganisms Associated With Pneumonia in Children <5 Years of Age in Developing and Emerging Countries: The GABRIEL Pneumonia Multicenter, Prospective, Case-Control Study.

Background: Pneumonia, the leading infectious cause of child mortality globally, mainly afflicts developing countries. This prospective observational study aimed to assess the microorganisms associated with pneumonia in children aged <5 years in developing and emerging countries. Methods: A multicenter, case-control study by the GABRIEL (Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries) network was conducted between 2010 and 2014 in Cambodia, China, Haiti, India (2 sites), Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, and Paraguay. Cases were hospitalized children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia; controls were children from the same setting without any features suggestive of pneumonia. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from all subjects; 19 viruses and 5 bacteria were identified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Associations between microorganisms and pneumonia were quantified by calculating the adjusted population attributable fraction (aPAF) after multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for sex, age, time period, other pathogens, and site. Results: Overall, 888 cases and 870 controls were analyzed; ≥1 microorganism was detected in respiratory samples in 93.0% of cases and 74.4% of controls (P < .001). Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus 1, 3, and 4, and influenza virus A and B were independently associated with pneumonia; aPAF was 42.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35.5%-48.2%) for S. pneumoniae, 18.2% (95% CI, 17.4%-19.0%) for RSV, and 11.2% (95% CI, 7.5%-14.7%) for rhinovirus. Conclusions: Streptococcus pneumoniae, RSV, and rhinovirus may be the major microorganisms associated with pneumonia infections in children <5 years of age from developing and emerging countries. Increasing S. pneumoniae vaccination coverage may substantially reduce the burden of pneumonia among children in developing countries.