Five hundred normal school children of both sexes in the age group of 5-15 years were examined for Beta-haemolytic streptococci throat carriage. The carriage rate was 10.2% and was more in males and during winter season. The most commons antigenic group was A(86.25%) followed by group B (7.85%). Group c (3.9%)and group G (1.97%). Commonest T-pattern of group A Beta-haemolytic streptococci 1(43.2%).

One hundred and fifty strains of Bacteroides B. fragilis group were tested against 18 antimicrobials in this study using the agar disk diffusion method of Horn. All the strains tested were sensitive to Metronidazole, Rifampicin, Clindamycin (100% sensitive). The agar disk diffusion method of Horn is a simple as well as effctive method for testing the resistance pattern of rapidly growing anaerobes like B. fragilis gp.

Hundred strains of Salmonella typhi murium were examined for resistance against three different cephalosporins: cephalexin, cephadroxil and sodium cefotaxime. Seventy eight percent strains were resistant to cephalexin, 22%to cephadroxil and 16% to sodium cefotaxime. Only twenty two percent strains were sensitive to all the three drugs. The findings show rapid acquisition of resistance to new chemotherapeutic agents by S.typhimurium.

Study of acute and chronic filariasis cases revealed a significant elevation of serum lgA (176.43+_ 12.6 mg/dl) in chronic filariasis cases. Western-Blot technique revealed the presence of three peptide bands at 100 KD, 86 KD, and 23KD in all the sera, which were strongly reactive in Dot-blot test.

Forty-five cases of paragonimiasis in children aged 1 to 15 years reported from Manipur. Different clinical forms of paragonimiasis: pleuro-pulmonary (34): cutaneous (7); pericardial (2); pleuro-pulmaonary associated with congestive heart failure (1); and abdominal (1) are identified. Passage of blood stained sputum or recurrent hemoptysis ans brathlessness are major presenting sysmptoms of pleuro-pulmonary paragonimiasis. All the children reacted to Paragonimus antigen on intradermal test. Paragonimus eggs are seen in the sputum samples of all pulmonary forms with or without associated complications. Eosinophilia and raised erythrocyle sedimentation rate (ESR) are consistent findings in pleural effusion, cutaneous, and pericardial forms whereas in pulmonary paragonimiasis eosinophilia is in 100 percent. History of eating raw or undercooked crabs and or crayfish in endemic area, positive skin test, marked eosinophilia in the absence of other possible causes may help in the diagnosis of paragonimiasis even if Paragonimus ova not be found in the pathological specimens.

Serological evidence of infection with Shigella dysenteriae type 1 as well as other verotoxin producing bacteria (Escherichia coli 0 26, 2 III and 0 157) was sought in 28 children suffering from Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome: (HUS) 25 age and sex matched controls were also studied. An ELISA was developed for detection of anti Lipopolysaccharide antibodies in sera samples. Nineteen of the 28 HUS patients but none of the 25 controls reacted with the LPS antigens derived from Vero toxin producing bacteria. While 13 of these patients reacted against only one of the four LPS, six reacted with more than one LPS antigen from the verotoxin producing bacteria but not with LPS antigen from the non pathogenic E.coli NCTC 10418.paired sera, two to three weeks apart, could be obtained from 20 HUS patients. Fourteen of these patients had reacted in high titer in their acute phase serum. There was an increase in titre in one patient while another did not show any change, but in the convalescent of twelve patients there was a significant fall in titre.

The standard Shepard’s U 10 broth (SU 10) was compare with a New Rapid Mycofast screening Kit-EM 32 (DBV Production, Sanary (France) for detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum in 40 females attending the antenatal clinics’ urealyticum was detected in 17 and 20 patients by SU 10 and Mycofast Kit –32 respectively. Two specimens were positive for U. urealyticum in SU 10 broth only and 5 in Mycofast MSUMM broth only. A comparison of the two methods showed concordant results in 33/40 samples. From the results of this preliminary study the Rapid Mycofast screening Kit-EM 32 may be recommended for screening of urogenital mycoplasma.

One thousand fifteen healthy subjects of tribal populations, Bhil (208), Mina(205), Garasia (181), Damor (160), Gameti (146), Adivasi (115) and 828 healthy subjects from Urban populations, Voluntary blood donors (251). Medical students (370), Doctors (125) and Technical staff (82), were screened for the technique. (HbsAg) carrier rate varied from 5.9 to 10.5 percent and 1.7 to 3.5 percent among tribal and urban populations of Southern Rajasthan respectively. A statistical significant (P<0.01) higher carrier rate among tribals may be attributed to their low socio-economic status, substandard living conditions, unhygienic habits, occupational and social customs and conditions.

Antibiotics for topical use in external ocular infections are usually fortified preparations having higher concentration of the drug than the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the infecting bacterium. Kirby-Bauer method based on MIC inhibition zone diameter relationship generally used in laboratories for drug sensitivity of an organism does not reveal the true results of a “resistant� bacterium to the fortified concentration of the antibiotic used. Therefore, in vitro antibacterial activities tp determine the MIC of framycetin, gentamycin, tobramycin, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin (0.25-16 µg/ml) on 600 aerobic bacterial (472 gram positive and 128 gram negative) isolates of external ocular infection were tested by agar dilution method. Ciprofloxacin was the most active among the five drugs with MIC90 being 4µg/ml. High percentage of resistance to framycetin, gentamycin, tobramycin and to a lesser extent to norfloxacin was recorded. Disk diffusion method for antibiotic sensitivity test is therefore not applicable for the bacterial isolates from external ocular infection which are being treated with fortified drugs.