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Biomedical subjects

M K Lalitha

Publications and source records attributed to M K Lalitha.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Primary peritonitis in children.

Thirty-one children with primary peritonitis were studied. Most of them had been healthy prior to the onset of peritonitis and only one had nephrotic syndrome. There were 27 girls and four boys. The predominant organism in girls was pneumococcus, and in boys staphylococcus. The causative organisms, identified in 27 children, were all Gram positive. Most of the children were between four and 10 years of age. The onset of their illness was sudden with fever, vomiting and abdominal pain. Since in recent years, primary pneumococcal peritonitis has been the commonest type of peritonitis in young girls, our earlier policy of routine laparotomy for peritonitis was given up and in girls aged between four and ten, an attempt at initial pre-operative diagnosis was made by Gram's staining of peritoneal aspirate or vaginal swab. If Gram positive peritonitis was diagnosed, early cases were treated with antibiotics alone and late cases with antibiotics and minilaparotomy for drainage of pus. There was one death. Morbidity and mortality were higher when the period without treatment exceeded one week. The contribution of pre-operative diagnosis by Gram's staining to the provision of optimum treatment is emphasized.

Child↗
PubMed1983

Immune response to Bacteroides ureolyticus in a patient with brain abscess.

A high titer (1:256) of agglutinating antibodies against Bacteroides ureolyticus was demonstrated in a 35-year-old woman with brain abscess, using a microagglutination test. Tests done with B. ureolyticus and heterologous sera as well as with heterologous strains and the patient's serum were negative. Circulating antibody to B. ureolyticus has not been reported previously.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Brain abscess and other protean manifestations of actinomycosis.

Reports on human actinomycosis documented by culture have been infrequent, particularly from India. The present paper reports 12 cases of actinomycosis confirmed by culture. These include two unusual cases of actinomycosis of the brain with no granules in the pus, two pulmonary cases, one renal, one abdominal, and six cervico-facial. The lethal outcome with organ involvement, and the chronicity in some cases, warrant early etiologic confirmation and prompt treatment.

Actinomyces↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An outbreak of anthrax meningoencephalitis.

We report a common-source outbreak of anthrax meningoencephalitis in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, southern India, in October 1990. The source of infection was the carcass of a sheep. Of 5 persons who skinned and cut up its meat for human consumption, 4 developed anthrax meningoencephalitis and one a malignant pustule. Another person who wrapped the meat in a cloth and carried it home on his head developed a malignant pustule on his forehead and also meningoencephalitis. All subjects with anthrax meningoencephalitis died, but the one with only a malignant pustule recovered. A large number of people who cooked or ate the cooked meat of the dead sheep remained well. The medical, public health and veterinary authorities were alerted and sheep, goats and cattle in the locality were immunized with anthrax vaccine. Although rules against consumption of meat of dead animals exist, their violation shows a lack of public awareness. Health education should be undertaken to correct this situation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bilateral septic arthritis due to Salmonella enteritidis.

We present an unusual case of septic arthritis due to Salmonella enteritidis involving both knee joints of a 29-year-old man with Hodgkin's lymphoma. The role of ciprofloxacin in septic arthritis caused by Gram-negative bacilli is also reviewed.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An outbreak of cutaneous anthrax in a non-endemic district--Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

BACKGROUND: Anthrax is a disease of herbivorous animals, and humans incidentally acquire the disease by handling infected dead animals and their products. Sporadic cases of human anthrax have been reported from Southern India. METHODS: Five tribal men presented with painless ulcers with vesiculation and edema of the surrounding skin on the extremities without any constitutional symptoms. There was a history of slaughtering and consumption of a dead goat ten days prior to the development of skin lesions. Clinically cutaneous anthrax was suspected and smears, swabs and punch biopsies were taken for culture and identification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All the cases were treated with intravenous followed by oral antibiotics. Appropriate health authorities were alerted and proper control measures were employed. RESULTS: Smears from the cutaneous lesions of all five patients were positive for Bacillus anthracis and this was confirmed by a positive culture and PCR of the smears in four of the five cases. All the cases responded to antibiotics. CONCLUSION: We report five cases of cutaneous anthrax in a non-endemic district, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, for the first time.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical presentation of melioidosis in India.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, the disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is common in Southeast Asia. It has also been reported from India, where some investigators feel it is under-diagnosed and under-reported. We report our experience with melioidosis presenting as abscesses at unusual sites. METHODS: All consecutive patients with culture proven B. pseudomallei, who presented to a single surgical unit between 1995 and 1998, were evaluated. RESULTS: Three patients presented with splenic abscesses and one with a soft tissue abscess in the neck. One patient developed septicaemia. All patients responded favourably to ceftazidime and/or co-trimoxazole which was started as soon as the diagnosis was confirmed. CONCLUSION: Melioidosis is under-diagnosed in India, probably due to a low index of suspicion of this disease among clinicians. It should be considered as a possibility when abscesses are encountered at unusual sites. The pus must then be cultured to identify the causative agent.

Abscess↗
PubMedDate not supplied

In vitro activity of netilmicin against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant and susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and its multidrug-resistant property has led to the search for an effective antibiotic to combat staphylococcal sepsis. At present, vancomycin remains the most effective antibiotic. This study evaluated the in vitro efficacy of netilmicin (an aminoglycoside) and compared its activity with 4 other antibiotics, viz. vancomycin, amikacin, tobramycin and ofloxacin. METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotics was determined by the agar dilution method. Thirty strains each of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus isolated from pus and blood cultures were included. RESULTS: The susceptibility to netilmicin was found to be 100% and was the same as that observed for vancomycin. CONCLUSION: All the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains tested showed 100% susceptibility to netilmicin, suggesting its use in patients with such infections as an alternative to vancomycin. However, this finding needs to be verified in the clinical setting.

Amikacin↗