Indian Journal Watch
7 November 2026
Peer-reviewed microbiology, infectious disease, AMR and infection-control papers from India and South Asia, published or added to PubMed from 5 to 6 November 2026.
Lead articles
Tuberculosis · Programmatic outcomes · PLOS Global Public Health
Predictors of treatment outcomes in adults with drug-sensitive Tuberculosis in Maharashtra, India: A retrospective study
PLOS Global Public Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0006539 · PubMed 42993799
- What
- A state-level retrospective analysis from the National Disease Modelling Consortium, IIT Mumbai, of Ni-kshay case-based records to identify predictors of unfavourable treatment outcomes and mortality among adults with drug-sensitive tuberculosis in Maharashtra during 2021 and 2022.
- Design
- Two logistic-regression analyses compared treatment success with (1) unfavourable outcomes (death, failure, loss to follow-up, regimen change or not evaluated) and (2) mortality. Age, gender and pre-treatment weight were entered together; each remaining risk factor was modelled with those three covariates to yield adjusted odds ratios. Missing entries for diabetes, HIV, tobacco and alcohol were retained as “not recorded”/”unknown”. Collinearity was assessed with Cramer’s V and variance inflation factors.
- Key findings
- The final cohorts comprised 323,124 cases for unfavourable-outcome analysis and 315,579 for mortality. Increasing age, male gender, lower body weight, known HIV and diabetes, tobacco and alcohol use, and “unknown” status for behavioural risks and comorbidities were significantly associated with higher odds of both unfavourable outcomes and mortality.
- Limitations
- The abstract does not report point estimates for each aOR; records with missing comorbidity or behavioural fields were retained as a separate category rather than excluded.
- Relevance to India
- Maharashtra contributes a large share of India’s notified TB burden; the Ni-kshay-based framework offers a reproducible way to flag high-risk drug-sensitive patients for intensified follow-up at state level.
AMR · Paediatric bloodstream infection · Iranian Journal of Microbiology
Bacterial profile and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of blood culture isolates in pediatric patients at children hospital, Sukkur: a one-year retrospective analysis
Iranian Journal of Microbiology · doi:10.18502/ijm.v18i5.22861 · PubMed 42992203
- What
- A one-year retrospective descriptive study of blood-culture isolates from children aged 0-14 years at Children Hospital, Sukkur, Pakistan, summarising organism distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility to support local empirical therapy and stewardship.
- Design
- All blood cultures from July 2024 to June 2025 were reviewed; only the first positive culture per patient entered the primary analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing had been performed under CLSI guidance, although the exact AST method could not be retrospectively confirmed from records.
- Key findings
- Of 11,962 cultures, 4,151 (34.7%) were positive: Gram-positive 2,276 (54.8%), Gram-negative 1,856 (44.7%), fungi 19 (0.5%, excluded from bacterial analysis). Coagulase-negative staphylococci predominated (2,125; 51.2% of positives), followed by Klebsiella spp. (526; 12.7%), Serratia spp. (490; 11.8%) and Acinetobacter spp. (259; 6.2%). Salmonella Typhi retained high susceptibility to azithromycin (93.6%) and meropenem (97.6%) but low susceptibility to ceftriaxone (43.6%), cefixime (9%), ciprofloxacin (0%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (15.7%). Vancomycin and linezolid showed 100% susceptibility among tested CoNS, S. aureus and Enterococcus isolates.
- Limitations
- CoNS predominance should be interpreted cautiously because clinical data to distinguish true bacteraemia from contamination were incomplete; AST methodology could not be retrospectively verified.
- Relevance to India
- Sukkur sits on the Indus corridor shared with north-west India; the S. Typhi susceptibility pattern mirrors regional extensively drug-resistant typhoid pressure and underlines the need for institution-specific paediatric antibiograms.
More from the journals
Tuberculosis & mycobacteria
AMR, IPC & healthcare-associated infection
- Rural Health Centre Nindo, Badin, Sindh: bundled climate-resilient WASH-IPC raised WASH-FIT score from 32.3% to 86.9% (median domain gain 62.5 pp; p = 0.016); sanitation 16.7%→100%, hand hygiene 10.0%→90.0%; uncontrolled design limits attribution.Journal of Infection Prevention · PubMed 42991367
- Aarupadai Veedu Medical College, Puducherry: among 149 orthopaedic implant-associated infections, 131 (87.9%) culture-positive; S. aureus predominated, followed by Pseudomonas, E. coli and non-aureus staphylococci; 42 (30.2%) isolates were MDR.Iranian Journal of Microbiology · PubMed 42992159
- Graphic Era Institute, Dehradun: two neonates with MBL-producing Acinetobacter baumannii meningitis received ceftriaxone-sulbactam-disodium EDTA plus intravenous colistin; cultures sterilised by day 7; concomitant colistin precludes attributing response to either agent.Clinical Case Reports · PubMed 42991875
- Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal (2023-2024): urine-culture positivity 16.4% (4,263/25,983); E. coli 63.2% of bacterial isolates; overall MDR 45.9%; carbapenem-resistant Gram-negatives 8.9%; vancomycin-resistant enterococci 6.1%.Kathmandu University Medical Journal · PubMed 42989752
- VIT Vellore: genomic profiling of 301 human MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa genomes; high-risk STs ST621, ST277 and ST235 dominated, with elevated acquired ARG and mobile-element burden against a conserved intrinsic resistome.Frontiers in Microbiology · PubMed 42991661
- University of Lahore: CRISPR-dCas9 targeting of mecA in MRSA suppressed resistance-associated expression at selected sites and was assessed by disk diffusion, E-strip MIC, RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing.Iranian Journal of Microbiology · PubMed 42992156
Vector-borne & parasitic diseases
- ICMR-NIH Bhubaneswar: among children aged 3-12 in three Odisha cities, STH prevalence was 48% in slums versus 34% in in situ upgradation housing (χ² = 19.915, p < 0.001); Cuttack and Puri had lower odds than Bhubaneswar.Journal of Urban Health · PubMed 42989011
- First confirmed canine Thelazia callipaeda ocular infection in Bhutan (Punakha); 32 worms recovered; cox1 sequence 99.6% identical to an Indian isolate within the Asian clade.Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases · PubMed 42991985
- Dow University, Karachi: among 3,106 laboratory-confirmed dengue patients with acute CBC, 983 (31.6%) were NS1-positive; NS1 status associated with haematocrit, haemoglobin, WBC, ANC and platelet count (all p < 0.001).J Pak Med Assoc · PubMed 42989662
- Terbinafine-resistant tinea corporis caused by Trichophyton indotineae in a Nepalese hotel worker diagnosed in Japan, underscoring regional dermatophyte AMR spillover.Journal of Dermatology · PubMed 42989445
Virology
- Commentary framing five preparedness questions for Chandipura virus after recurrent outbreaks in India.PLoS Pathogens · PubMed 42993698
- Nationwide experimental web survey of Indian adults (6-18 February 2026) testing perceived-severity and perceived-benefits information nudges on Health Belief Model dimensions and protective intentions against Nipah virus.Journal of Global Health · PubMed 42990089
- Pakistan-endemic PPR: among 47 clinical samples on FTA cards, RT-LAMP positivity 95.7% versus RT-PCR 89.4% and antigen ELISA 83.0%; detection limit tenfold lower than RT-PCR; RNA detectable after 1 year at −20 °C.Molecular Biology Reports · PubMed 42993372
- Commentary linking Bangladesh measles outbreak dynamics to India’s measles-elimination trajectory.Indian Journal of Public Health · PubMed 42993591
- Dhulikhel Hospital: among 24 consecutive herpes zoster ophthalmicus cases (mean age 59 years), clinical pattern, ocular complications and predisposing factors were described with slit-lamp and Hutchinson-sign assessment.Kathmandu University Medical Journal · PubMed 42989750
Outbreaks & public health
- Rural Uttar Pradesh NFHS-3 to NFHS-5: any ANC rose 51.3%→94.8% and full RI 20.8%→71.2%; education-related inequality narrowed for community-deliverable services across 61,133 observed VHND sessions (2022-2023).BMJ Public Health · PubMed 42990801
- Osmania Medical College field practice, Hyderabad: among 400 children aged 12-23 months, full immunisation 57.0%; coverage higher in upper SES (67.86% vs 43.18%) and urban (65.0% vs 49.0%) children, with a pro-rich Concentration Index +0.1067.Cureus · PubMed 42991801
- Kathmandu quasi-experimental pneumonia-awareness programme for pregnant women: paired pre/post knowledge scores improved for symptom recognition, transmission, vaccination and risk factors.PLoS ONE · PubMed 42993733
- Islamabad: 9-year-old with extensively drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi bacteraemia complicated by capillary-leak syndrome (albumin 2 g/dL, rising haematocrit, oedema); stabilised after albumin and culture-directed antibiotics.J Pak Med Assoc · PubMed 42989669
Diagnostics & other
- Central India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur: narrative review of human brucellosis diagnostics spanning culture, serology, lateral-flow assays, MALDI-TOF-MS, PCR and multiplex species/biovar identification (2014-2024 literature).Indian Journal of Public Health · PubMed 42993595
- Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka: draft genomes of four lake-water E. coli isolates harbouring antibiotic-resistance genes, mobile elements and prophage regions.Microbiology Resource Announcements · PubMed 42992685
- Dhulikhel Hospital: incidental histopathological Actinomyces colonisation within a benign left true vocal-fold polyp excised for progressive hoarseness.Kathmandu University Medical Journal · PubMed 42989763
Items are summaries of published abstracts and are not clinical advice. Readers should consult the original article. Figures are quoted as reported in each abstract.
