Padma Srikanth

• Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research

This study aimed to identify B-cell epitope candidates using multiple epitope identification software and in silico analysis of the modeled B19 V protein against specific antibodies using molecular docking and dynamics simulation. Materials and Methods: Full-length amino acid sequences of the VP1 protein of B19 V were retrieved from NCBI. A consens...

The accurate quantification of nuclear factor Kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65) is critical for understanding inflammatory mechanisms, especially in HIV-1 infected individuals, where NF-κB p65 contributes to chronic immune activation. Conventional methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting are limited in terms of sensitivi...

Low-grade inflammation in people living with HIV (PWH) has become a significant contributor to the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, and renal dysfunction. Though antiretroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically reduced mortality by limiting the emergence of opportunistic infections, it has not been success...

A core component of every blood program is the supply of safe blood and blood products. The elevated risk of transmission through these products is due to parvovirus B19 (B19V) resistance to the virus inactivation procedures. Our study aimed to screen asymptomatic blood donors for B19V at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, between Sep...

Ensuring the safety of blood and blood products is a vital aspect of healthcare. The potential for transmission of pathogens through blood and blood products makes transfusion safety a significant concern. Despite advancements in testing methodologies, donated blood products still pose a risk for infection transmission. Human parvovirus B19 (B19V)...

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a neurotropic alphaherpesvirus that causes neurological manifestations either as a complication of primary infection or reactivation. VZV induced neurological diseases have a good prognosis when confirmed early and treated with anti-viral therapy. Myelitis, encephalitis, ventriculitis or meningitis can occur without...

Varicella vaccine was first licensed in Japan and South Korea in 1989 for use in healthy children and was introduced in US in 1995. So far, 29 countries have adopted varicella vaccine in their universal immunization program (UIP). No Asian country, India included, has adopted the varicella vaccine as part of their UIP. The extra-cutaneous sites for...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a lymphotropic virus that causes diseases ranging from a flu-like illness called infectious mononucleosis to nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, and central nervous system (CNS) infection. Detection of EBV DNA is usually done using whole blood samples taken from the patients. We undertook the detection of EBV i...

After the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine into the Universal Immunization Program in India in 2016, relatively few studies have assessed the prevalence and epidemiological patterns of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among hospitalized children ≤5 years of age. We used a uniform protocol to recruit children with AGE as well as standardized testing...

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) caused by influenza A and influenza A H1N1 and to determine the proportion of influenza B in a smaller group of samples with ILIs and influenza A H1N1 negative by qualitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using Taq...

Purpose The core component of every blood program is the establishment of a system to ensure the safe supply of blood and blood products. Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is one of the emerging blood-borne pathogens in recent times. In India, routine screening of B19V is not done for blood and blood products. The objective of this study is to determine the se...

Purpose The gold standard for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 is Real Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR (rRT-PCR). A combination of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs improves the sensitivity of detection of SARS-CoV-2 in samples. The first wave of COVID-19 impacted Chennai in May 2020 and lasted till October 2020. The second wave began in March 2021...

In neonates, rotavirus (RV) infection is generally nosocomial. The control of rotaviral infection within hospital settings is challenging due to prolonged shedding of the virus and contamination of the surrounding environment. There are few studies that have reported asymptomatic infection within neonates. In this study, neonates were screened for...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global health concern with 350 million chronic carriers. With respect to HBV India is classified as an intermediate endemic country. The disease progression may be due to many viral factors including HBV viral load, HBe antigen, genotype, mutations in polymerase gene, and X gene. In this case, the individual was a treat...

Rotaviruses by virtue of its segmented genome generate numerous genotypes. G1P[8] is the most common genotype reported globally. We intend to identify the evolutionary differences among G1P[8] strains from the study with vaccine strains. Stool samples collected from children <5 years were screened for rotavirus antigen by enzyme linked immunosorben...

Background Neonatal rotavirus infections are predominantly caused by distinct genotypes restricted to this age-group and are mostly asymptomatic. Method Stool samples from neonates admitted for >48 hours in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Vellore (2014-2015) and Chennai (2015-2016) in southern India, and from neonates born at hospitals in...

Neonatal rotavirus infections are predominantly caused by distinct genotypes restricted to this age-group and are mostly asymptomatic. Stool samples from neonates admitted for >48 hours in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Vellore (2014-2015) and Chennai (2015-2016) in southern India, and from neonates born at hospitals in Vellore but not ad...

T2DM is on the rise and HBV is an intermediate endemic disease in India. We aimed to identify HBV genotype in persons with T2DM. On analysis, all participants had HBV genotype D2. Also, 50% had CLD including HCC. HBV disease severity is driven by HBV genotype. HBV genotype may be a prognostic marker for chronic liver disease and customize therapy.

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most common aetiological factor causing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBx gene plays an enigmatic role in HBV-related HCC. In this study we have analysed amino acid substitutions in HBx from HBV-infected individuals of different clinical stages. Materials and methods: HBV-infected individuals (n = 9...

Renal transplantation is a treatment option for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was analysed among symptomatic and asymptomatic post-renal-transplant recipients (PRTRs). A total of 30 PRTRs were enrolled. DNA was extracted and quantitative real-time PCR for CMV (CMV R-Gene, France) targeting ppUL83 gene was performed...

Gut microbiota are microorganisms that inhabit the gut; they coexist peacefully with the host, thereby contributing to the health and well-being of individuals. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes largely dominate the gut microbial flora. The intestinal flora promotes intestinal mucosal integrity, provides essential nutrients such as vitamins and enzymes,...

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major periodontal pathogen. Saliva is the most easy, non-invasive microbiological sample for detection of periodontal pathogens. Aim and objectives: A prospective study on 37 diabetic patients was grouped into well-controlled diabetes with/without periodontitis and uncontrolled diabetic with periodontiti...

Background & objectives: Human parvovirus B19V (B19V) is known to be associated with erythema infectiosum commonly in children, aplastic crisis, especially in persons with underlying haemolytic disorders, hydrops fetalis in pregnancies and arthritis. This cross-sectional study was aimed to determine the presence of B19V infection in childhood febr...

Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) is a single stranded positive sense enveloped RNA virus. Re-emergence of CHIKV caused a massive outbreak with severe clinical manifestation affecting multiple organs. The genetic diversity of CHIKV, which caused recurring outbreaks in India, was studied. Blood samples were collected from suspected human cases of CHIKV infe...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Parvovirus B19 infections occur worldwide; the infection is acquired early in childhood but could occur later. B19 is reported to cause infection in childhood febrile illnesses, and arthropathies in adults and children and in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) seen in adults. This study was designed to develop an in-house IgM i...

Aim: Co-occurrence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is associated with an increased risk of EBV-associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Quantitation of EBV by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can aid the clinicians in the initiation of preemptive measures to improve the survival of the graft. Me...

Resistance to anti-viral drugs is a global problem in the treatment of HBV. Around 350 million people are infected with HBV worldwide. In India there are 50 million chronic HBV carriers [1]. HBV is double stranded DNA virus, it replicates by reverse transcription process. The error rate of HBV reverse transcriptase is of 4.6x10-5/nucloetide/site/ye...

CMV is the most common viral infection which occurs in post renal transplant recipients (PTR). There are four different gB genotypes (gB1 to gB4) which exist in CMV. Studies have reported that mixed infection with different genotypes will cause severe clinical manifestations as well as co-infection with other herpesvirus including Epstein-Barr viru...

Dengue disease is caused by dengue viruses 1-4 and has been ranked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease. Dengue is often underreported and misdiagnosed due to a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Diagnosis of dengue is based on clinical case definitions and laboratory methods. Newer case...

Introduction Oral microbiome impacts health and disease. T2DM and periodontitis are associated. Neem (Azadiracta indica) has antibacterial activity against oral microbiota. Objectives To characterize oral microbiota (OMB) in saliva samples of T2DM patients by Next generation sequencing. To analyze MCP-1 levels among the T2DM patients before and af...

Aims: This study was undertaken to determine the rate of detection of rotavirus causing diarrhoea among children and adults, identify the common genotypes circulating and determine clinical correlates. Settings and design: This is a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care centre. Materials and methods: Stool samples were collected from adults...

Objectives: Since melioidosis mimics tuberculosis clinically and radiologically, there is a need for a rapid diagnostic method to help the clinician to initiate appropriate antimicrobial treatment in order to prevent mortality. Our objective was to standardize a nested PCR for B. pseudomallei and its detection in pulmonary and extra pulmonary sampl...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are associated with changes in gut microbiota and characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) are proinflammatory cytokines which play an important role in the development of T2DM. We undertook this study to analyze th...

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of a new disinfectant to disinfect the dental unit waterlines. Materials and Methods: New dental unit waterlines were installed in 13 dental chairs, and biofilm was allowed to grow for 10 days. Disinfection treatment procedure was carried out in the 12 units, and one unit was left...

Varicella zoster usually manifests as maculopapular rash (MPR), which later progresses to vesicle. It can also manifest as MPR without progression to the vesicle stage. This atypical manifestation is more common in adults and immunocompromised patients. A 30-year-old female presented with high-grade fever and rash over face and body for 5 days. She...

Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by viruses are of public health importance.Viral infections in CNS have always been a challenge to the treating physician. The pathogenesis of viral infection is complex and the determinants include virus, host and environment which are responsible for their varied clinical presentations. The di...

Background: Vaccination and passive antibody therapies are critical for controlling infectious diseases. Passive antibody administration has limitations including the necessity for purification and the delivery of multiple injections required for efficacy. Vaccination is associated with a lag phase before generation of immunity. Novel approaches r...

Infection control plays a major role in health care, including dentistry. Microbial contaminations in dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) are very common. In the present study, the formation and characterization of biofilm in the inner lumen of the dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Four dental chairs w...

Background and objectives: Pseudomonas species are nosocomial pathogens that are capable of colonising moist surfaces. Little is known whether they get airborne. The study was undertaken to 1) characterise Gram-negative bacteria in indoor air of different hospitals; 2) characterise Pseudomonas sp. by phenotypic and genotypic methods; 3) determine...

Introduction: The role of serum Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) as a biomarker of periodontitis is well documented; however, its role in diabetic patients with periodontitis is unknown. Aim: This study was conducted to determine the presence and concentration of serum MCP-1 in diabetic patients with and without periodontitis and corre...

Treatment of sputum samples using bleach has been proposed to sterilize the sample and increase the sensitivity of smear microscopy, for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). However the concentration and exposure times needed for sterilizing sputum samples are poorly defined. In this study, thirty sputum samples that tested positive for acid fast ba...

In this large-scale longitudinal study conducted in rural Southern India, we compared a presence/absence hydrogen sulfide (H2S) test with quantitative assays for total coliforms and Escherichia coli as measures of water quality, health risk, and water supply vulnerability to microbial contamination. None of the three indicators showed a significant...

Computers are widely used in healthcare for improved and effective care. Previous published reports have shown microorganisms colonising computer keyboards in some clinical areas. This study was undertaken to measure, compare and characterize the aerobic microorganisms in computer keyboards of hospital and non-hospital settings. Samples were collec...

Study was conducted to assess whether temporal variation exists in airborne microbial concentrations of a hospital ward (west-Chennai, India) using active and passive methods, and characterise the microorganisms. Air samples (duplicates) were collected simultaneously using exposed-plate, impingement (BioSampler) and filtration (personal sampling fi...

Tuberculosis (TB) causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide as one of the leading infectious diseases. In India, more than 1.8 million new cases occur every year. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of TB would improve patient care and limit its transmission. This study aimed to evaluate a dual target polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic...

Infectious diseases are a major global public health problem. Multiple agents are now recognized to cause indistinguishable illnesses. The term 'syndrome' applies to such situations, for which early and rapid diagnosis of the infecting agent would enable prompt and appropriate therapy. Public health physicians would also get timely information on t...

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne alphavirus indigenous to tropical Africa and Asia. Acute illness is characterized by fever, arthralgias, conjunctivitis, rash, and sometimes arthritis. Relatively little is known about the antigenic targets for immunity, and no licensed vaccines or therapeutics are currently available for the...

Re-emergence of Chikungunya is a major public health problem in the southern states of India. This study was undertaken to investigate an outbreak of Chikungunya, in June-August 2008 using PCR and determine the prevalent genotypes of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) associated with the outbreak. Materials and Samples of blood were collected (in heparinize...

This study was conducted to determine whether mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs) and T corporate users harbour micro-organisms. Swabs collected from mobile phones were inoculated in solid and liquid media, and incubated aerobically. Growth was identified as per standard microbiological procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined fo...

Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne emerging pathogen that has a major health impact in humans and causes fever disease, headache, rash, nausea, vomiting, myalgia, and arthralgia. Indigenous to tropical Africa, recent large outbreaks have been reported in parts of South East Asia and several of its neighboring islands in 2005-07 and in Europe in...

The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) aims to improve case detection rates of tuberculosis to facilitate prompt recognition and treatment. The low case detection rates in the programme can be directly attributed to failure to screen patients with suspected tuberculosis and the low sensitivity of the direct smear microscopy met...

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Background: Mobile phones act as perfect habitat for microbes to breed, especially in high temperature and humid conditions. and may serve as vectors in transmitting nosocomial infections. This study was conducted to determine the potential of mobile phones to harbour microorganisms in health care workers in hospital environments and to compare wit...

Bio-aerosols are airborne particles that are living (bacteria, viruses and fungi) or originate from living organisms. Their presence in air is the result of dispersal from a site of colonization or growth. The health effects of bio-aerosols including infectious diseases, acute toxic effects, allergies and cancer coupled with the threat of bioterror...

A 3-month pilot study (February—April 2006) was conducted to determine the quality of indoor air in hospitals in the Tamil Nadu region of India and to characterize the predominant aerobic bacteria and fungi present. The main objectives were (1) to sample the indoor air of three different hospitals in Chennai for bioaerosols to generate baseline dat...

Bio-aerosols are airborne particles that are living (bacteria, viruses and fungi) or originate from living organisms. Their presence in air is the result of dispersal from a site of colonization or growth. The health effects of bio-aerosols including infectious diseases, acute toxic effects, allergies and cancer coupled with the threat of bioterror...

Rare molds are increasingly emerging as a cause of deep and invasive fungal infections. We report here a rare case of cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis of the lower limbs due to Alternaria alternata associated with extra-ungual localization of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. Diagnosis was made based on repeated, direct, microscopic mycological and histologic...

The term superantigen was introduced in microbiology and immunology only a decade ago. The unique feature of superantigen is that it bypasses the antigen processing mechanism and specifically binds to TCR v segment and forms a trimolecular complex along with major histocompatibility complex class II. Since its discovery, several studies have been c...

Multidrug resistance among Salmonella typhi is well known. Reports of treatment failure in enteric fever with Ciprofloxacin made us undertake this study to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of S. typhi and S. paratyphi A isolated from typhoid bacteremia cases, by disc diffusion and MIC by broth dilution method. A total of 50 strains w...

The microbial flora of 75 patients with chronic tonsillitis were sudied to identify the commonest organism causing chronic tonsillitis and to compare surface swab, fine needle aspiration (FNA) and core swab in isolating the pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant isolate from surface core swab FNA and surface swab. In our study the cor...

Increased levels of immune activation among HIV patients from developing countries are believed to accelerate and/or enhance the shift to a Th2 cytokine environment, which in turn may result in a more rapid progression to AIDS. In support of this hypothesis, we present data from a cohort of 35 HIV+ individuals in southern India. Among asymptomatic...

AIDS was diagnosed in 187 men and 24 women (M:F = 8:1) from April 1987 till December 1994 at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore. The doubling time of the occurrence of AIDS cases was 14 months; during 1987-90 there were an average of 5.7 cases per year; in 1991-93 there were 28 per year; in 1994 there were 104 cases. The mean age of pa...