Rapid Card Test Research Articles

Mapping the baseline prevalence of lymphatic filariasis across Nigeria

IntroductionThe baseline endemicity profile of lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a key benchmark for planning control programmes, monitoring their impact on transmission and assessing the feasibility of achieving elimination. Presented in this work is the modelled serological and parasitological prevalence of LF prior to the scale-up of mass drug administration (MDA) in Nigeria using a machine learning based approach.MethodsLF prevalence data generated by the Nigeria Lymphatic Filariasis Control Programme during country-wide mapping surveys conducted between 2000 and 2013 were used to build the models. The dataset comprised of 1103 community-level surveys based on the detection of filarial antigenemia using rapid immunochromatographic card tests (ICT) and 184 prevalence surveys testing for the presence of microfilaria (Mf) in blood. Using a suite of climate and environmental continuous gridded variables and compiled site-level prevalence data, a quantile regression forest (QRF) model was fitted for both antigenemia and microfilaraemia LF prevalence. Model predictions were projected across a continuous 5 × 5 km gridded map of Nigeria. The number of individuals potentially infected by LF prior to MDA interventions was subsequently estimated.ResultsMaps presented predict a heterogeneous distribution of LF antigenemia and microfilaraemia in Nigeria. The North-Central, North-West, and South-East regions displayed the highest predicted LF seroprevalence, whereas predicted Mf prevalence was highest in the southern regions. Overall, 8.7 million and 3.3 million infections were predicted for ICT and Mf, respectively.ConclusionsQRF is a machine learning-based algorithm capable of handling high-dimensional data and fitting complex relationships between response and predictor variables. Our models provide a benchmark through which the progress of ongoing LF control efforts can be monitored.

Analysis of epidemiological and demographic component of dengue in rural Puducherry - A hospital based study

Introduction: Dengue Fever (DF) is caused by dengue virus (DENV) which is transmitted by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquito. Incidence of DF is more rampant in tropical and subtropical areas with severe complications. This hospital based study is the analysis of surveillance data on the prevalence of dengue among the rural population of Puducherry, India. Materials and Methods: All patients admitted in our institution with the suspicion of dengue during the period of January 2017 to February 2018 were included in this study irrespective of age and sex. A total of 1880 patients were subjected for dengue screening by tests for NS1 antigen and IgM antibody by ELISA method and IgG antibody detection was done by rapid card test. Results: Out of 1880 included in this study, 32.2% (607) were diagnosed as positive for dengue. Among them 58.2% (353) were male. The mostly affected persons were from the category 21-30yrs (9.57%) followed by 31-40 yrs (6.48 %). A total of 48.3% (293) were found to be reactive for dengue NS1 antigen alone whereas 22.6% (137) and 2.9% (18) are reactive for IgM and IgG respectively. A peak in the number of incidence was observed during the month of October (N=256) followed by September (N=124) and minimum was observed during January and February (N=5). Conclusion: About 32.2% of the suspected cases were reactive for dengue by serology, which was a considerable increase in incidence when compared to the previous study in this region. The increased rate of incidence in male/active working age group shows that outdoor activities may be associated with high risk for the acquisition of dengue. Vector control measures and awareness campaigns explaining the inherent features of the disease and preventive measures shall be helpful in downsizing the incidence. Keywords: Dengue fever, NS1 antigen, Severe dengue

Comparative evaluation of three rapid immunochromatographic test assays with chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay for the detection of hepatitis C virus antibody.

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) can serve as good alternatives to standard serological assays for hepatitis C virus (HCV) detection in limited resource settings. Aim of this study was to evaluate performance of three Indian manufactured RDTs with chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CLIA) for screening of HCV infection with further evaluation using HCV RNA. Serum samples tested for anti-HCV by CLIA (Architect i1000SR, Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA) were retrieved from -80°C and retested for anti-HCV by three RDTs: Alere Trueline (SD Bioline; Haryana, India) (RDT 1), Benesphera HCV Rapid card test (Avantor Performance Materials India Limited; Uttarakhand, India) (RDT 2), AccuTest HCV (Accurex Biomedical Pvt. Ltd.; Mumbai, India) (RDT 3). HCV RNA results were obtained from hospital information system and anti-HCV reactive but RNA negative cases without treatment were considered as either 'false positives' or 'spontaneous clearance of HCV RNA'. Among 86 samples, 75 (87.2%), 49 (57%), 58 (67.4%) and 51 (59.3%) were reactive by CLIA, RDT1, RDT2 and RDT3, respectively. Taking CLIA as reference standard, RDT 1, 2 and 3 demonstrated sensitivity of 65.30%, 77.33% and 68% respectively. Specificity of all three RDTs was 100% with sensitivity of 97.6-100% above signal/cut-off ratio (S/Co) of 6 by CLIA and 88-100% in all HCV RNA positive cases. Sensitivity of RDTs increased from 65.30-77.33 to 72-82.4% when RNA negative/anti-HCV reactive results were considered as non-reactive. The three RDTs have acceptable sensitivity and specificity in anti-HCV detection especially in RNA positive patients that would require treatment for HCV.

Donor notification and response rate of sero-reactive blood donors: a challenge and long way to go

Background: Supply of safe blood starts with healthy voluntary non remunerated blood donors. Blood donor screening and testing for TTI has become stringent all over the world. A fundamental part of preventing TTI is to notify and counsel reactive donors which help in preventing secondary transmission of infectious disease.Methods: This observational descriptive study is done to determine the number of contacted TTI reactive donors and their response rate after notification of their abnormal tests. It includes all the sero-reactive donors from July 2015 to June 2016 in the department of IHBT, GGSMCH. Blood donors who were sero-reactive for any TTI were recalled and tested again with ELISA kit of different manufacturer or lot number and by rapid card tests. Donors’ sero reactive on repeat testing were informed, counseled and referred to ICTC (for HIV) or Physician (for hepatitis B and hepatitis C). Confidentiality was maintained at every level.Results: During the study period, numbers of blood donors were 12621, out of which 343 blood donors were found to be sero-reactive. 23 donors were HIV, 230 Hepatitis C, 90 were HBsAg reactive. We could contact 182 out of 343 sero reactive donors telephonically. 161 sero-reactive did not attend blood bank phone call or their contact number was changed. Amongst the 182 contacted donors, 72 donors responded for the notification call and attended counseling.Conclusions: Response rate among reactive donors is quite low and a big challenge. This shows poor health care knowledge and social stigma regarding TTI among donors.

The prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV infections in patients with cataract in Turkey

Background: Hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cause common infections all around the world. The aim of this study is to determine the HBV, HCV, and HIV prevalence in cataract patients. Material and methods: This was a retrospective study and was carried out in the ophthalmology clinic of Adana Numune Research and Training Hospital (Adana, Turkey). One hundred and forty patients undergoing cataract surgery were included to the study. The clinical findings were extracted from the medical records of the patients. The serological analyzing was done by one step immunoassay-based rapid diagnostic card tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HCV, and anti-HIV antibodies. HBV and HCV confirmations were done by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test)-based serological tests. Results: Of the 1040 patients included in the study, 462 (44.4%) were females and 578 (55.6%) were males. The mean age of the patients was 64.8 ± 13.7 years. HBsAg was positive in 39 (3.8%) patients and Anti-HCV was positive in 14 (1.3%) patients. None of the patients had HIV. Conclusion: HBV is the most common infection among cataract patients and it is very important to apply infection prevention methods.

A Comparative Evaluation of Rapid Card Test with Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay for the Detection of HBsAg Among Pregnant Women in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is an important health problem and a leading cause of death worldwide. The most important marker for HBV infection is HBsAg. A proper identification of kit is required for proper diagnosis of infection, as well as disease management and prevention. Aims& Objective: - The aim of the present study was to compare rapid HBsAg detection ICT kits for the screening of HBV infection with gold standard ELISA method. Methods: The study comprised 500 blood samples of pregnant women. These samples were tested with ICT kits of (Hepa Card Company) and ELISA (HEPLISA by J. Mitra.). Results: In present study we found 100% sensitivity, 99.59% specificity, 81.81% positive predictive value ,100%Negative predictive value and 99.60% diagnostic efficiency of rapid card test with comparison to ELISA for HBsAg detection. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the overall performance of the rapid ICT kit for HBsAg was equally sensitive to ELISA and yet they were cheap and quicker. It can be recommended that ELISA comparable rapid devices may be allowed to be used for preliminary screening of HBsAg especially in remote areas or where cost is an issue.

Prevalence of malaria among blood donors in blood bank, Jhalawar Hospital & Medical College Society, Jhalawar, Rajasthan

Introduction: Transfusion Transmitted Malaria (TTM) is the great concern in endemic countries. Transmission of malaria by blood transfusion was one of the first recorded incidents of transfusion transmitted infection. The drugs and cosmetic act in India mandates the testing of all blood donations for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg), hepatitis C virus(HCV), malaria and syphilis. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of malarial among voluntary and replace­ment blood donors in Blood Bank, Jhalawar Hospital & Medical college society, Jhalawar, Rajasthan. Material and Methods: A retrospective review of donors record covering the period between Jan 2017 to Dec 2017 at Blood Bank, Jhalawar Hospital & Medical college society, Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India. The blood samples were then obtained by standard procedures of venepuncture. Malarial parasites were screened by microscopy (peripheral blood smear) and rapid Antigen card detection in blood bank. The study detected the presence of malaria parasites in donated blood units. Results: 5 out of 16495 donor population were positive(Prevalence 0.03%) on Immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test for malarial antigen detection (Rapid Antigen Card Test). Conclusion: Blood donors in Blood Bank, Jhalawar Hospital & Medical college society, Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India have a 0.03% prevalence and voluntary donations are safer as compared to replacement donation. By strict donor selection, proper donor testing and post testing counselling,the rate of TTM can be further minimized.

Seroepidemiology of transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors at a tertiary care center in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

Background: Blood is precious as well as scarce lifesaving medication. Proper screening of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), syphilis, and malarial parasite (MP) with appropriate methods is needed to ensure that the donated blood is made innocuous for transfusion. Objective: The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of TTI and their epidemiological aspects in blood donors in a hospital-based blood bank in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of the total of 4708 donors was carried out from January 2015 to December 2018 year. Screening of HIV was done using the fourth-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and for hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) and HCV by the third-generation ELISA kit. Testing for syphilis was done with rapid plasma reagin and MP was tested with rapid card test. Results: Voluntary donors were 4702 (99.9%) while replacement constituted for 6 (0.12%) number of cases. Among 4708 donors, 4079 (96%) were male and 629 (4%) were female. Among 66 (1.4%) transfusion transmitted diseases (TTD)-positive donors, the highest number of donors 28 (42%) belongs to 18–27 years of age group while the lowest 5 (2%) belonged to 48–57 years. Overall prevalence of HIV, HbsAg, HCV, syphilis, and MP was 0.08%, 1.1%, 0.2%, 0.04%, and 0.02%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of TTD was more in males, in 18–27 age groups, and in voluntary donors. The most common TTI was HBV, followed by HCV, HIV, syphilis, and MP, respectively.

A study on prevalence of rotavirus infection in children below 5 years, with acute gastroenteritis

Background: Diarrheal diseases are among the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, especially in India. This cross sectional study was conducted to investigate the causative agent of diarrhea among children, below five years, treated at an urban tertiary care hospital, Telangana.Methods: Stool specimens were collected from 240 children under 5 years of age visiting Apollo Medical College, General Hospital in Hyderabad, hospitals due to acute diarrhea. Rapid stool antigen immunochromatograhic testing was used to diagnose rota virus diarrhea. In this test the VP 6 antigen present on the middle layer of the virus capsule is detected.Results: During the 2 months of the study period, 60 children visited the institute seeking treatment of diarrhoea. 11 (18%) of, the children were found to be positive for rota virus infection. It was also observed that, due to advent of rotavirus vaccine, incidence of diarrhea has come down.Conclusions: In our study the prevalence of rotavirus infection in children suffering from acute gastroenteritis below five years of age is 18.3%. This study is performed using an ICT rapid card test in which group A of the rotavirus is detected, the drawback of this study is other groups of rotavirus like B and C which also cause human infections are not detected. Following the rapid ICT card test which is a diagnostic test, ELISA, confirmatory test for the detection of rotavirus should also be done.

Evaluation of prototype IgA rapid test on diagnosis of early active syphilis

Objective To evaluate the application of Burnet Institute-made prototype IgA rapid test, a kind of point-of-care (POC) testing, in the diagnosis of early syphilis. Methods Totally, 455 stored serum samples in the Reference Laboratory of Sexually Transmitted Disease, the Institute of Dermatology were used to evaluate the application of the prototype IgA rapid test (IgA-POC) in the diagnosis of early syphilis. According to resluts of Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) , rapid plasma reagin card test (RPR) , and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IgM antibodies (IgM-ELISA) , these stored samples were divided into 3 groups: uninfected group, previously infected group and early active syphilis group. IgA-POC test was performed in the 3 groups to evaluate its diagnostic performance for active syphilis, and researchers were blind to the group information. Results The prototype IgA-POC test had a sensitivity of 92.6% (147/163) for the early active syphilis group, a specificity of 72.22% (104/144) for the previously infected group, and a specificity of 97.97% (145/148) for the uninfected group. The total specificity of the prototype IgA-POC test was 85.27%, which met the minimum requirement of WHO for the POC test. The prototype IgA-POC test showed a significantly higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of early active syphilis compared with the IgM-ELISA (59.51%, Z = 6.88, P < 0.05) , but a significantly lower specificity for the diagnosis of previous syphilis infection compared with the IgM-ELISA (98.61%, Z= 6.18, P < 0.05) . Moreover, no significant difference in the specificity for the diagnosis of non-infection was observed between the prototype IgA-POC test and IgM-ELISA (Z= 1.16, P= 0.25) . Conclusion The prototype IgA-POC test has better capacity for the diagnosis of early active syphilis compared with the IgM-ELISA, so it can be applied to the screening of early active syphilis. Key words: Syphilis; Syphilis serodiagnosis; Point of care testing

Inclusion of Seromarkers to Exclude Hepatitis B Virus Infection via Transfusion in Voluntary Blood Donors

Introduction: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is a serious viral infection causes acute and chronic hepatitis. Transfusion of blood and blood products is the predominant route of transmission of HBV. As per NACO guidelines, in India, donor blood is screened for HBsAg, anti-HCV antibodies, anti-HIV antibodies; slide/card rapid screening for malarial parasites and VDRL for Syphilis.Blood banks in India are only equipped to carry out rapid card test or ELISA for routine screening of HBV, HCV and HIV infections. In developed countries use Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) were in place for screening and diagnosis of viral infections during window period. NAT assays are highly sensitive, specific and robust but require skilled manpower and specialized infrastructure and thus may not be cost-effective.Objectives: To explore the current sero-prevalence of HBsAg, Anti-HCV antibodies and anti-HIV antibodies (and other relevant seromarkers) by routine screening tests in a cohort of voluntary blood donors and to determine the efficiency of NAT over the routinely used rapid card and ELISA tests. To include any additional seromarker of HBV infection to detect the antigen in the window period.Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 3160 voluntary blood donors were screened for HBsAg. Samples were also subjected to screening of additional seromarkers such as HbeAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc antibodies. Thirty samples were randomly selected from each HBsAg positive and HBsAg negative groups and were subjected to HBV DNA PCR for viral load estimation.Results: ELISA testing is more specific than rapid card test in detecting HBV infection, whereas NAT testing was beneficial in identification of added HBV infection. Both ELISA and rapid card test methods were found to be equally sensitive and specific in diagnosing HCV and HIV infections. NAT testing did not yield any significant increase in positive results compared to serological/rapid methods. HBeAg was found to be positive in 2 samples which are tested negative for HBsAg. HBV DNA was also found to be positive in one sample which is negative for HBsAg (1 out of 30), which might be cryptic HBV infection.Conclusion: Though NAT would be the choice of screening for Hepatitis B, it not cost-effective. Therefore, inclusion of one or more seromarkers for screening HBV, such as HBeAg, might be helpful in preventing transfusion transmitted infection.

Incidental detection of hepatitis B and C viruses and their coinfection in a hospital-based general population in tertiary care hospital of Uttar Pradesh.

Introduction:Substantial proportion of liver diseases worldwide is caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections which manifest not only as an acute illness but also lead to chronic sequelae. Together HBV and HCV cause chronic infection in more than 500 million persons and about one million deaths annually. Most of the people with chronic infection are not aware of the infection thus enabling it to go unnoticed, and undiagnosed and act as a potential source of infection for the community at large. Therefore, we aimed to find the prevalence of HBV and HCV in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh among individuals attending the tertiary care hospital.Materials and Methods:From February 2015 to January 2016, 3750 patients attending the outdoor patient departments or admitted to the indoor patient departments of teaching hospital and advised to undergo HBV and HCV for screening before any invasive/surgical procedure were included in the study. Screening was done by rapid card test followed by the confirmation of all samples by enzyme immunoassay.Results:Seroprevalence of HBV and HCV was found to be 3.9% and 1.76% respectively with higher seroprevalence among males and in married participants in both infections. Blood transfusion is statistically a significant risk factor for HCV infection (P < 0.05). Coinfection with HBV/HCV was seen in 0.16% of the individuals visiting the hospital.Conclusion:Higher seroprevalence of HBV and HCV among the hospital-based population mandates screening of high-risk individuals. Awareness by health education of safe sexual practices and improved safety of blood and its products are among the most important preventive measures to control HBV and HCV infection.

Seroprevalence, risk associations, and cost analysis of screening for viral infections among patients of cataract surgery.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of blood-borne viral infections (triple H: HBV-hepatitis B virus, HCV-hepatitis C virus, and HIV-human immunodeficiency virus) among cataract patients, sought possible risk associations and discuss feasibility of universal preoperative screening.Methods:This prospective, cross-sectional study enrolled consecutive patients of senile cataract. They were screened by immunoassay-based rapid diagnostic card tests for blood-borne viral infections. Positive cases were confirmed with confirmatory ELISA tests. Seropositive patients were enquired about the exposure to possible risk associations for acquiring these infections. Cost of card test per patient was calculated.Results:The prevalence of seropositivity for triple H viral infections (HBV, HCV, and HIV) among patients of senile cataract was 5.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.3–6.6), and HCV was most common viral infection. The dental extraction was most common (54%; 95% CI:48-60) possible risk association. The total cost of primary screening per patient for triple H infections(HBV, HCV, and HIV) was $0.93.Conclusion:The prevalence of blood-borne viral infection among cataract patients is high in this area. Awareness of the prevalence of blood-borne viral infections in service area, along with knowledge of rate of accidental exposure and risk of transmission would help to understand cost-effectiveness of universal preoperative screening before cataract surgery.

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Athletes Pre- and Post-Season Demonstrates Consistent Pattern of Frontal Cortical Activation with King-Devick Testing

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Athletes Pre- and Post-Season Demonstrates Consistent Pattern of Frontal Cortical Activation with King-Devick Testing

Clinico-epidemiological profile of dengue cases in a Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Background: Medical college hospital being a tertiary care center receives a significant number of dengue cases from within and outside the catchment area and provides a good opportunity to study the clinical and epidemiological features of dengue infection, its prognosis and outcome so as to institute prompt preventive and control measures. The objective was to describe the clinico-epidemiological features of dengue cases admitted to pediatric ward at a Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.Methods: Cross-sectional study of 140 cases positive for NS1Ag, IgM and/or IgG by dengue rapid immuno-chromatographic card test, admitted in pediatric ward during June to August 2013 at Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital.Results: Majority of the patients were from rural area. Fever was present in all 140 cases. Vomiting followed by headache were the common presenting symptoms. Of the 140, 50% cases were classified as dengue fever without warning signs, 46.4% as dengue fever with warning signs and 3.6% as severe dengue. Thrombocytopenia was present in 77.1%, leucopenia in 47.9%, and raised haematocrit in 52.1% of cases. Mortality rate was 0.71%.Conclusions: Children above 5 years of age were most commonly affected age group. About 5 (3.6%) of the patients belonged to severe dengue category according to revised WHO Dengue Case Classification.

A Comparative evaluation of diagnostic performance of Immunochromatographic Rapid Card Test for malarial antigen against Peripheral smear Microscopy

Background: Malaria poses a major public health problem in India and has emerged as a biggest health burden in terms of morbidity and mortality. Rapid detection of malarial parasite can ensure the prompt timely and efficient management of clinical cases and control of the disease. Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of Immunochromatographic Rapid Card Test (ICT) for malarial antigen against Peripheral smear microscopy for diagnosing Malaria. Materials and Methods : This Cross sectional study was conducted in Dept. of Microbiology of a Rural tertiary care teaching hospital of Western Uttar Pradesh from January 2016 to August 2016. Eight Hundred thirty seven patients with clinical suspicion of malaria whose samples were sent on advice by clinicians to the Microbiology laboratory for the peripheral smear microscopy and Rapid card test for malarial antigen were included in this study after obtaining clearance from Institutional Ethics committee. Results : Out of the 837 blood samples tested, 106(12.66%) samples tested positive for malaria by Peripheral smear microscopy and 109(13%) by ICT Rapid card tests. The sensitivity of ICT for non-falciparum malaria (82.65%) came out to be lower than that for falciparum malaria (87.5%). The specificity of ICT for non falciparum malaria (98.9%) was almost same as for falciparum malaria (99.3%).The accuracy of ICT for falciparum malaria (99.16%) was slightly higher than for non-falciparum malaria (97%). Conclusion: This study suggests that ICT Rapid card test couldnt replace PS microscopy completely, but can be used as an alternative or complimentary to microscopy, particularly in resource constrained remote rural areas of India.

Seropositivity of hepatitis b surface antigen in tertiary care centre: issues &amp; considerations

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects more than 300 million people worldwide and is common cause of liver disease and liver cancer. HBV, a member of the Hepadnaviridae family, is a small DNA virus with unusual features similar to retroviruses. HBV replicates through an RNA intermediate and can integrate into the host genome. The unique features of the HBV replication cycle confer a distinct ability of the virus to persist in infected cells. Aims & Objective: This study was designed to determine HBsAg Seropositivity among rural population attending inpatients and outpatients at tertiary care center with special consideration to childbearing age women. Material & Method: This retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology for three months in a tertiary care center catering rural population. A total of 1463 patients attending outdoor and indoor, were screened for HBsAg by lateral flow based rapid immunochromatographic card test (ICT) manufactured by J Mitra & Co Pvt Ltd. Results: Seropositivity of HBsAg was 41/1463(2.80%). Seropositivity was seen more in males 27/756(3.57%) as compared to females 14/707(1.98%). Age range 31-45 years was found to have highest prevalence rate with seropositivity of 15/279(5.38%). Among patients screened for HbsAg, we observed seropositivity of 2.37% (12/505) among women of childbearing age with age range 16 to 45 years. Conclusion: Findings in this study significantly contribute to the understanding of actual epidemiology of HBsAg in rural population especially women of childbearing age. Therefore, we should make efforts to prevent HBV infection by focusing on associated risk factors.

A Serological Study of Blood Borne Viral Hepatitis Cases Attending IIMS &amp; R, Lucknow

Context: Acute viral hepatitis (AVH) is a major public health problem and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Aim: To study the prevalence of viral Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C cases in patients attending IIMS&R, Lucknow, U.P. Material &Method: Blood samples and clinical information was collected from cases of over a 6 month period (1 st January 2015 to 30 th June 2015). Samples were tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen, antiHCV total antibodies. Statistical Analysis Used: Fisher’s exact test was used and a P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The prevalence rate was found to be 4.5% in HBV and 2.5% for HCV .Out of 1434 patients 66 were Hepatitis B positive and 35 were Hepatitis C virus.57.6% of the patients of Hepatitis B and 31.4% of hepatitis C were males. On comparing both HBV and HCV positive viral infections, statistically significant values (p≤ 0.05) were found in males. About three fourth (76.9%) of the patients of hepatitis B and 62.9% of HCV were found to be literate and belonged to lower and middle socio-economic status having poor hygiene .Statistically significant values were observed in low socio-economic status (p≤.003) , literacy level (p≤ 0.01) , serum bilirubin (p=0.005) and alkaline phosphate (p=0.002) between Hepatitis B and C patients was observed . The results of ELISA test were 100% while for Rapid card test it was 95% only Conclusion: Preventive measures should include health education regarding parentral transmission of infection stringent blood banking laws need to be introduced and use of disposable syringes/needles should be made mandatory. Reuse of needles, shaving kits and razor blades should be discouraged. Universal immunization of all infants is desirable to decrease the carrier pool and it is inferred from the present study that Hepatitis B immunization should begin at birth to have greater impact.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen among Patients Attending a Rural Teaching Hospital at Puducherry

Background: HBV infection in humans is a global health problem which accounts for morbidity and mortality rates associated with its serious complications like cirrhosis of liver and carcinoma of liver. The incidence of HBV in India has an intermediate range of 2 % to 7%. A five year retrospective study was conducted on the seroprevalence of HBs Ag among the patients attending Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Pudhucherry from January 2011 to December 2015. Materials and methods: A total of 67903 patients of both sexes and ages ranging from 1 year to 88 years were included in this study. HBsAg screening was primarily done by rapid card test and reconfirmed by ELISA. Results: 1.73 % of the study population was positive for the presence of HBsAg with a male predominance of 2.73% over female (1.09%). A gradual increase in the prevalence rate was seen during each successive years of this study. Conclusion: An increasing prevalence was observed in each succeeding year of the study. Preventive measures and awareness programmes are to be taken into serious consideration to control the rising trend of HBV infection. Keywords: ELISA, HBs Ag, HBV, Seroprevalence

Verrucous Onychomycosis Caused by Curvularia in a Patient with Congenital Pterygium.

A 57 year healthy farmer with congenital nail pterygium presented with a verrucous growth on nail bed since 8 months. He was not diabetic and HIV rapid card test negative. Our clinical diagnosis was chromoblastomycosis but culture showed growth of curvularia species on two occasions and histopathology showed hyphal and yeast forms of the pigmented fungus. After excision biopsy patient was started on oral itraconazole. This case is reported due to rarity of verrucous cutaneous lesions caused by curvularia in immunocompetent individuals.