Sohaib Ahmad

Scrub typhus in Uttarakhand, India: a common rickettsial disease in an uncommon geographical region

Summary Scrub typhus is a commonly encountered rickettsial disease of the Indian subcontinent. Humans are infected accidentally and the case fatality can be significantly high if the disease is not identified in time. We report nine cases of scrub typhus from the Garhwal region of the newly created north Indian state of Uttarakhand, a region not previously known to harbour the vector. Entomological studies are needed to study the density of the vectorand to institute vector control measures in order to prevent this relatively benign, yet potentially fatal, clinical entity from spiralling into a major public health issue.

Aetiologies of Acute Undifferentiated Febrile illness in Adult Patients - an Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India.

INTRODUCTION Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) is a common clinical entity in most of the hospitals. The fever can be potentially fatal if the aetiology is not recognized and appropriately treated early. AIM To describe the aetiology of fever among patients in a tertiary care hospital in Northern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS A one-year retro-prospective, observational study was conducted in adults (age>18years) presenting with undifferentiated febrile illness (of duration 5-14 days). Diagnosis was confirmed by suitable laboratory tests after exhaustive clinical examination. RESULTS A total of 2547 patients with AUFI were evaluated. Of these, 1663 (65.3%) were males and 884 (34.7%) were females. Dengue (37.54%); enteric fever (16.5%); scrub typhus (14.42%); bacterial sepsis (10.3%); malaria (6.8%); hepatitis A (1.9%); hepatitis E (1.4%); leptospirosis (0.14%); were the main infections while no specific diagnosis could be delineated in 11%. Mixed infections were noted in 48 (1.9%) patients. CONCLUSION A good clinical acumen supported by the basic investigations can help diagnose the cause of fever with reasonable certainty.

Acute myocarditis in vivax malaria: an extremely rare complication:

Summary We report on the occurrence of pulmonary oedema due to acute myocarditis in an adolescent girl, from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, with Plasmodium vivax infection after parasite clearance. Apart from pancytopenia, there were no other features of severe malaria. With the emergence of literature about the complications encountered in P. vivax, especially from this region, a high index of suspicion for unusual cardiovascular manifestations is necessary in cases with acute malaria.

Dengue hepatitis sans dysfunction: experience of a single tertiary referral centre in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand

Hepatic involvement is uncommon in dengue viral infections and is traditionally thought to be associated with severe disease in terms of morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted in order to assess the liver function in patients with dengue virus infection and to analyse its effect upon patient outcome. Three hundred and twenty-seven consecutive patients with dengue virus were categorized into groups A, B, C and D on the basis of elevation of either of the hepatic transaminases (normal, <3, 3–10 and >10 times, respectively). Primary and secondary outcome measures related to morbidity and mortality were studied. Hepatitis was seen in ∼3/4 patients; an increasing grade of liver involvement was significantly associated with fewer platelets (P < 0.001). Recovery of platelets, bleeding manifestations, renal dysfunction, platelet recovery and duration of hospitalization were similar in all groups. Among the patients with manifest bleeding, the platelet count did not differ significantly but the platelet recovery was significantly slower (P = 0.044) with increasing grade. Hepatic dysfunction is self-limited without any increase in morbidity and mortality.

Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: An Uncommon Presentation

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) encephalitis is an uncommon illness, with about 2 cases per 250,000 per year. Most are caused by HSV-1, with 10% having HSV-2 as the aetiologic factor. We present a case of Herpes simplex type1encephalitis in a 70 year old male with an uncommon presentation. The patient was a known case of endogenous depression with no medical records and on no treatment for the same, reported with acute changes in mental state for the past five days. He was talking irrelevantly, had hallucinations and was unduly aggressive and violent. He was subjected to a thorough clinical and diagnostic work-up which included cerebrospinal fluid analysis, CT head and MRI brain. MRI brain was suggestive of mild subdural effusion which hinted towards infectious cause of encephalitis. The cerebrospinal fluid viral serology panel detected herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV1) that was later confirmed by CSF Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. Hence, acyclovir was initiated by intravenous route at a dosage of 10mg/kg body weight and continued for two weeks. This case holds significance in view of the fact that organic causes must be excluded in suspected cases of psychiatric illness especially in the absence of fever. Also, CSF-PCR testing plays a pivotal role in diagnosing herpes simplex encephalitis.

North Indian state of Uttarakhand: a new hothouse of visceral leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been reported in the last decade from the hilly state of Uttarakhand, India. We report 47 cases from the non-endemic Garhwal region of this state which, over the last 10 years, were treated successfully. We conclude that the transmission cycle of VL is established in this region. Effective vector control measures are warranted to prevent the disease becoming a health problem, albeit not a major one given its excellent response to drugs.

Changing Epidemiology: A New Focus of Kala-azar at High-Altitude Garhwal Region of North India

Adult cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), predominantly males, have been reported in the past decade from natives of high altitude areas of North Indian state of Uttarakhand. We report 14 pediatric cases of VL, who were diagnosed and treated successfully over the past 7 years. All these children were born and brought up in this area and had never visited any of the endemic areas. High prevalence of pallor, splenohepatomegaly, thrombocytopenia and poor association with HIV are cardinal features of VL in this region. Although newer drugs have become available, the protozoan continues to be sensitive to sodium stibogluconate. We conclude that the transmission cycle of VL has been established in this region and VL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any child presenting with fever and hepatosplenomegaly. However, molecular and epidemiological studies are needed to identify the ancestry, vector and animal reservoir if any in this region.

Scrub typhus in Uttarakhand & adjoining Uttar Pradesh: Seasonality, clinical presentations & predictors of mortality

Background & objectives: Scrub typhus is a re-emerging mite-borne rickettsiosis, which continues to be underdiagnosed, with lethal consequences. The present study was conducted to determine the seasonality, clinical presentation and predictors of mortality in patients with scrub typhus at a tertiary care teaching hospital in northern India. Methods: Scrub typhus was suspected in patients attending the hospital as per the standard case definition and serological evidence was obtained by performing an IgM ELISA. Results: A total of 284 patients with scrub typhus from urban and rural areas were seen, predominantly from July to November. The most common clinical presentation was a bilateral community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), which resembled pneumonia due to atypical pathogens and often progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). An acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) or a febrile illness associated with altered sensorium, aseptic meningitis, shock, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding or jaundice was also seen. Eschars were seen in 17 per cent of patients, and thrombocytopenia, transaminitis and azotaemia were frequent. There were 24 deaths (8.5%) caused predominantly by ARDS and multi-organ dysfunction. The mortality in patients with ARDS was high (37%). ARDS [odds ratio (OR)=38.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 9.93, 147.71] and acute kidney injury (OR=8.30, 95% CI: 2.21, 31.21) were the major predictors of death. Interpretation & conclusions: The present findings indicate that scrub typhus may be considered a cause of CAP, ARDS, AUFI or a febrile illness with multisystem involvement, in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, especially from July to November. Empiric therapy of CAP may include doxycycline or azithromycin to ensure coverage of underlying unsuspected scrub typhus.

Amphotericin B Resistant Apophysomyces elegans Causing Rhino-oculo-Cerebral Mucormycosis in an Immunocompetent Host.

Mucormycosis, an angioinvasive infection is caused by the ubiquitous filamentous fungi of the order Mucorales and class Mucormycetes. Reports of this disease are on the rise over the past few decades. Rhino-oculo-Cerebral presentation associated with uncontrolled diabetes is the predominant characteristic of this entity. We report here a case of rhinooculocerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) due to Apophysomyces elegans (A. elegans) in a 45-year-old diabetic lady with background illness of hypothyroidism and polyradiculoneuropathy. Though this condition is usually managed with surgical debridement of the affected tissue and medical therapy with Amphotericin B, the isolate recovered in our case was found to be resistant to Amphotericin B.

Alpha-fetoprotein as a prognostic marker in acute liver failure: a pilot study

Prognostic markers of acute liver failure (ALF) are based on clinical, laboratory or radiological parameters. Most of the biochemical markers are based on hepatic degeneration. We studied the impact of serial serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, a marker of liver regeneration, on the outcome of the patients with ALF. AFP levels were estimated on days 1 and 3 of hospitalisation of 32 patients with ALF and the ratio (AFP day3/day1) was calculated. All subjects were categorised as group A (expired) or group B (survived). The AFP ratio was 0.84  +  0.15 in group A (n = 20) versus 1.55  +  0.70 in group B (n = 10); P < 0.001. However, the absolute initial AFP values were not associated with the outcome, favourable or unfavourable. We conclude that AFP levels change dynamically during ALF and have the potential to be used as a predictor of outcome in isolation or in combination with well-established prognostic markers.