Interactions of urbanisation, climate variability, and infectious disease dynamics: insights from the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.

Climate change and shifts in land use/land cover (LULC) are critical factors affecting the environmental, societal, and health landscapes, notably influencing the spread of infectious diseases. This study delves into the intricate relationships between climate change, LULC alterations, and the prevalence of vector-borne and waterborne diseases in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India, between 1985 and 2015. The research utilised Landsat-4, Landsat-5, and Landsat-8 data to generate LULC maps, applying the maximum likelihood algorithm to highlight significant transitions over the years. This study revealed that built-up areas have increased by 67%, primarily at the expense of agricultural land, which was reduced by 51%. Temperature and rainfall data were obtained from APHRODITE Water Resources, and with a statistical analysis of the time series data revealed an annual average temperature increase of 1.8 °C and a minor but statistically significant rainfall increase during the study period. Disease data was obtained from multiple national health programmes, revealing an increasing trend in dengue and diarrhoeal diseases over the study period. In particular, dengue cases surged, correlating strongly with the increase in built-up areas and temperature. This research is instrumental for policy decisions in public health, urban planning, and climate change mitigation. Amidst limited research on the interconnections among infectious diseases, climate change, and LULC changes in India, our study serves as a significant precursor for future management strategies in Coimbatore and analogous regions.

Morbidity, mortality, and emerging drug resistance in Device-associated infections (DAIs) in intensive care patients at a 1000-bedded tertiary care teaching hospital.

Background: Device-associated infections (DAIs) such as ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI), and catheter-related urinary tract infection (CAUTI) are principal contributors to health hazard and a major preventable threat to patient safety. Robust surveillance of DAI delineates infections, pathogens, resistograms, and facilitates antimicrobial therapy, infection-control, antimicrobial stewardship, and improvement in quality of care. Methods: This prospective outcome surveillance study was conducted amongst 2067 ICU patients in a 1000-bedded teaching hospital. Clinical, laboratory, and environmental surveillance, as well as screening of health care professionals (HCPs) were conducted using the modified US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-National Healthcare Safety Network definitions and methods. Morbidity, mortality, and health-care indices were analyzed and two-tier infection prevention and control was promulgated. Results: Mean occupancy was 95.34% for 2061 patients of 7381 patients/bed/ICU days. One hundred seventeen episodes of DAI occurred in 1258 patients of 12,882 device-days with mean device utilization ratio of 1.79. Mean rate of DAI was 7.40 per 1000 device days. Multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most commonly followed by Acinetobacter. Mean all-cause mortality in ICU was 24.85%, whereas all-cause mortality after DAI was 9.79%. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence was 38.46% amongst health-care professionals. Conclusion: Mean rates of VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI were 20.69, 2.53, and 2.23 per 1000 device days comparable with Indian and global ICUs. Resolute conviction and sustained momentum in infection prevention and control is an essential step toward patient safety.

Epidemiological Profile and Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Enteric Fever in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India - a Seven Year Ambispective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Enteric-fever is a major public-health problem in developing countries emerging as multidrug-resistant, Nalidixic-acid resistant and extremely drug-resistant Salmonella (Pakistan, 2016), has intensified the use of WHO watch/reserve group antimicrobials such as azithromycin and meropenem. METHODS: This ambispective-study was conducted on 782 non-repeat blood-culture isolates of S. Typhi, S. Paratyphi A and S. Paratyphi B obtained from 29,184 blood cultures received at a 1000-bedded tertiary-care hospital of North-India from 2011-2017. Identification and antibiograms were obtained by Vitek-2 compact and Kirby-Bauer's disc diffusion with resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole being labeled as multidrug-resistant. Decreased ciprofloxacin-susceptibility and ciprofloxacin-resistance were defined as MIC 0.125-0.5 and >1 µg/ml. RESULTS: S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A in a ratio of 3.9:1 were seen between July-September predominantly distributed between 6-45 year age group. Resistance to co-trimoxazole, chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone and azithromycin was 6.1%, 13.8%, 16.1 and 5.78% respectively. Multidrug-resistant S. typhi and S. paratyphi A were 2.73% and 1.91% respectively. CONCLUSION: Enteric-fever is a major public-health problem in India. Emergence of multidrug-resistant, Nalidixic-acid resistant and extremely-drug resistant Salmonella mandates ongoing surveillance for targeted empirical therapy and containment of spread. Repeated epidemics call for water, sanitation, hygiene and vaccination strategies to sustain herd-immunity.

Device-Associated Healthcare-Associated Infections (DA-HAI) and the caveat of multiresistance in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Device-Associated Healthcare-Associated Infections (DA-HAI), including Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP), Central-Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI), and Catheter-Related Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), are considered as principal contributors to healthcare hazard and threat to patient safety as they can cause prolonged hospital stay, sepsis, and mortality in the ICU. The study intends to characterize DA-HAI in a tertiary care multidisciplinary ICU of a teaching hospital in eastern India. METHODS: This prospective outcome-surveillance study was conducted among 2157 ICU patients of a 760-bedded teaching hospital in Eastern India. Clinical, laboratory and environmental surveillance, and screening of HCPs were conducted using the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions and methods. RESULTS: With 8824 patient/bed/ICU days and 14,676 device days, pooled average device utilization ratio was 1.66, total episodes of DA-HAI were 114, and mean monthly rates of DA-HAI, VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI were 4.75, 2, 1.4, and 1.25/1000 device days. Most common pathogens isolated from DA-HAI patients were Klebsiella pneumoniae (24.6%), Escherichia coli (21.9%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.2%). All Acinetobacter baumanii, >80% K. pneumoniae and E. coli, and >70% P. aeruginosa were susceptible only to colistin and tigecycline. One P. aeruginosa isolate was panresistant. CONCLUSION: Mean rates of VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI were 14.4, 8.1, and 4.5 per 1000 device days, which are comparable with Indian and global ICUs. Patients and HCPs form important reservoirs of infection. Resolute conviction and sustained momentum in Infection Control Initiatives are an essential step toward patient safety.

Trichosporon asahii urinary tract infection in immunocompetent patients.

Trichosporonosis is an emerging infection predominantly caused by Trichosporon asahii which is a ubiquitous and exclusively anamorphic yeast. T. asahii urinary tract infection is rare and remains scantily reported. T. asahii was isolated from urine of two immunocompetent patients who were receiving in-patient treatment for multiple comorbidities. T. asahii was identified phenotypically by a combination of manual and automated systems. Antifungal susceptibility done by E-test revealed multiresistance with preserved susceptibility to voriconazole. The ubiquity and biofilm formationposes difficulty in establishing pathogenicity and delineating environmental or nosocomial infections. Risk factors such as prolonged multiple antimicrobials, indwelling catheter and comorbidities such as anemia and hypoalbuminemia may be contributory to the establishment of a nosocomial opportunistic T. asahii infection. Dedicated efforts targeted at infection control are needed to optimize management and control of Trichosporon infections.

Emerging organisms in a tertiary healthcare set up.

BACKGROUND: One-tenth of all infectious diseases are attributable to emerging organisms. As emerging organisms sporadically affect a relatively small percentage of population they are not studied at large. This study was aimed at studying the characteristics of emerging organisms encountered from various clinical samples in an apex tertiary care multispeciality teaching and research hospital. METHODS: 16,918 positive isolates obtained from 66,323 culture samples processed in the clinical microbiology lab of an apex multispeciality hospital during 2011-2012 were included after a pilot study. Both manual and automated systems were used for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility. The frequency of isolation, sources, referring centers, resistance and susceptibility profiles, phenotypic characteristics and number of reports in PubMed were studied. RESULTS: Out of 16,918 isolates, 13,498 (79.78%) were Gram negative bacteria, 3254 (19.23%) were Gram positive bacteria and 166 (0.98%) were yeasts. A total of 483 (2.85%, 95% CI 2.6%-3.1%) emerging organisms including 116 (0.69%, 95% CI 0.57%-0.81%) emerging species were identified comprising 54 genera. CONCLUSION: Emerging organisms are likely to evade routine identification or be disregarded as non-contributory. Astute efforts directed at identification of emerging isolates, decisions by clinical microbiologists and treating physicians and containment of infection are required.

Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) for diagnosis of dengue.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is an emerging public health problem causing serious morbidity and mortality in tropical developing countries. Early, sensitive and specific diagnosis is paramount for clinical decision making. Currently available diagnostic tests are limited in scope and utility. This study highlights applicability of RT-LAMP in dengue diagnosis. METHODS: 100 dengue confirmed cases, 100 dengue negative cases and 79 healthy negative controls from dengue epidemic between Sep 2009 to Jul 2011 were included. Dengue cases were profiled using WHO guidelines 2006, haematological and biochemical parameters evaluated and diagnosed using NS1 antigen, IgM and IgG enzyme immunoassay, RT-PCR and RT-LAMP. Positive cases were serotyped, genotyped and various tests were compared. RESULTS: Mean haematocrit, PT, PTT, platelet count, activated lymphocytes, serum fibrinogen, transaminases, bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, protein and sodium were significantly elevated in DHF/DSS as compared to DF. NS1 antigen, RT-PCR and RT-LAMP were sensitive during 1-3 days while µ-capture IgM EIA was specific after 5-7 days of initial infection. DEN-1 genotype III was predominant. CONCLUSION: Deranged haematocrit and liver function tests are indicators of the severity of the disease. RT-LAMP is rapid, cost effective, highly sensitive and specific qualitative and quantitative technique which can detect dengue infection in both early and intermediary stages when NS1 antigen titres are not in the detectable range and the IgM antibody titres have just started to rise. Its superiority over existing techniques, amenability for automation and promising utility in low resource healthcare setups and field conditions raise it as the new gold standard for dengue diagnosis.

Extreme altitude pulmonary oedema (EAPO) in acclimatized soldiers.

BACKGROUND: High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) is the most common challenging emergency at Siachen Glacier. This study was aimed at studying various aspects of Extreme Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (>5500 m/18,000 ft) while correlating it with acclimatization and post acclimatization duration of stay in retrospect and response to HAPO Bag nursing prospectively. METHODS: All clinical cases of HAPO on Siachen were included. Cases were diagnosed using Lake Louis criteria, standard treatment given and response monitored. Data was retrospectively correlated for acclimatization and post acclimatization duration of stay on glacier and prospectively for response to HAPO Bag nursing. RESULTS: Extreme Altitude Pulmonary Oedema presented in fully acclimatized, temporarily resident, mountain trained soldiers and also among native highlanders. HAPO Bag ensued dramatic improvement in the absence of oxygen. Extreme altitude presentation of HAPO with such findings has not been reported in literature earlier. CONCLUSION: HAPO cannot be prevented at extreme altitudes beyond 5500 m (18,000 ft) by scheduled pre-induction acclimatization, mountain training or prolonged stay at such altitudes. The dictum 'Every day is a new day beyond 18,000 ft' needs to be emphasized and due care needs to be taken in ventures at extreme altitudes. HAPO Bag is an indispensable device to save precious lives and prolong survival at such altitudes due to paucity of available oxygen. Easy availability and universal know how should be ensured.

Evaluation of the diabetes in pregnancy study group of India criteria and Carpenter-Coustan criteria in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as any degree of glucose intolerance that is diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. This prospective study was undertaken to validate the single-step non-fasting 75 gm Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of India (DIPSI) criteria of GDM in Indian patients in comparison with the two-step fasting 100 gm glucose challenge through the Carpenter Coustan criteria (CCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred patients underwent comparative testing using the DIPSI criteria and CCC. Plasma venous blood glucose levels were estimated using the hexokinase method; values ≥140 mg/dL at 2 hours were considered positive according to the DIPSI criteria. Any two values from ≥95 mg/dL for fasting, ≥180 mg/dL at 1 hour, ≥155 mg/dL at 2 hours, and ≥140 mg/dL at 3 hours were considered positive with the CCC. RESULTS: The mean age and body mass index were 24.26±3.75 years and 20.7±3.07 kg/m2. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the DIPSI guidelines were found as 100%, 97.14%, 83.87%, and 100%, respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 35.8 and zero. Diagnostic accuracy was found as 97.56%. CONCLUSION: DIPSI having high sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy. DIPSI offers simplicity, feasibility, convenience, and repeatability while economizing universal screening and diagnosis of GDM on a mass-scale. The DIPSI procedure has the potential to be applied to the entire obstetric population, in the implementation of public health programs to diagnose GDM in the community, thus reaching the needs of the developing world.