Analytical Study on Current Trends in the Clinico-Mycological Profile among Patients with Superficial Mycoses.

Infections affecting the superficial keratinized layer of the skin, nails, and hair are referred to as dermatophytosis and dermatomycoses, which constitute the most common type of fungal infection that affects people. This clinical ailment has a prevalence of between 30 and 60% and is more common in India's hot, muggy, tropical climate. Examining the prevalence of superficial mycoses (SM), their clinical symptoms, and the fungal species that were identified as the disease-causing agents were the main objectives of the current study. This study comprised 250 clinically confirmed patients with SM who visited our dermatology department over the course of a year. Skin scrapings, nail clippings, and hair samples were gathered, mounted, and cultured using KOH. Macroscopic examination of culture, tease mount, and phenotypic tests were used to identify the species. The age group of 11-20 years (29%) had the highest prevalence of SM out of the 250 clinically verified cases of the condition that were included in our study, followed by 21-30 years (20%) and 31-40 years (18%). Candida albicans, dermatophytes, and non-dermatophytic moulds were the three most prevalent fungal isolates. The most typical dermatophyte isolate was T. rubrum, which was primarily found in Tinea corporis (TCo), Tinea cruris (TCr), and Tinea faciei (TFa). T. mentagrophytes was the second most frequent isolate. According to our investigation, it was determined that non-dermatophytic moulds constitute a significant contributor to the development of SM in addition to dermatophytes.

Nonpigmented strain of Chromobacterium violaceum causing neonatal septicemia: A rare case report.

Human infection caused by Chromobacterium violaceum is rare but has got high fatality in septicemia. Nonpigmented strains of C. violaceum have been found similar in pathogenicity to pigmented strains. Pigment production is not an exclusive character of the genus Chromobacterium because around 9%-11% strains of C. violaceum are nonpigmented. Herewith, we report a nonpigmented strain of C. violaceum from a case of neonatal septicemia that was successfully treated with gentamicin plus imipenem.

Prevalence of cryptococcal meningitis among people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Southern Odisha, India.

OBJECTIVE: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) caused by encapsulated opportunistic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (PLHAs). Early diagnosis of such patients is the key to their therapeutic success. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the clinical features, laboratory findings, and prevalence of CM among hospitalized PLHAs in a tertiary care setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 112 clinically diagnosed CM patients were subjected to cerebrospinal fluid analysis and tests for human immunodeficiency virus antibodies by the standard laboratory operating procedures. RESULTS: Out of 112, 16 showed a definite diagnosis of C. neoformans with the prevalence of 14.3%. Males in the age group of 21-40 years were most commonly affected than females. The clinical manifestations observed were fever and headache (100%), followed by altered sensorium (93.7%), neck stiffness (75%), and vomiting (62.5%). Overall, Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) T-lymphocytes count was <100 cells/µl except 1 case in which the CD4 T-lymphocytes count was 137 cells/µl. No concomitant cryptococcal and tubercular meningitis case was detected. All 16 patients responded initially to induction therapy of IV amphotericin B 1 mg/kg and fluconazole 800 mg daily for 2 weeks. Subsequently, 4 (25%) patients were lost for follow-up and 2 (12.5%) patients expired during their hospital stay. CONCLUSION: As the clinical and radiological pictures of CM are often non-pointing, routine mycological evaluation is necessary for early definite diagnosis and subsequent initiation of appropriate therapy as the majority of patients respond well to treatment if started early.