Evidence for interstate transmission and increase in prevalence of bovine group B rotavirus strains with a novel VP7 genotype among diarrhoeic calves in Eastern and Northern states of India.
During a surveillance study (2003-2005) in a cattle market in Kolkata city, state of West Bengal, Eastern India, 34 (13.0%) of 260 calves with diarrhoea were positive for group B rotaviruses (GBR) by RNA electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels. Analysis of the partial VP7 gene sequence of 28 of the 34 GBR strains revealed maximum identities (97.7-99.5% at nucleotide level and 97.8-100% at amino-acid level) with the novel bovine GBR 'Kolkata strains' reported in an earlier surveillance study (1.5%, n=192, 2001-2002) from the same cattle market, and shared low identities of 73.7-78.9% and 80.8-89.6%; 62.6-66.2% and 59.8-65.4%; 58.9-62.2% and 48.6-54.9% at nucleotide and amino-acid level with other bovine, human, and murine GBR. The GBR-infected calves were traced to districts in neighbouring states of West Bengal. Therefore, the present study reports a rapid increase in prevalence (13.0% in 2003-2005 against 1.5% in 2001-2002) of novel GBR strains among calves with diarrhoea, and provides evidence for interstate transmission of GBR.

title: Detection of a large number of subgroup 1 human rotaviruses with a “long” RNA electropherotype
abstract: SummaryThe long or short electrophoretic migration patterns of group A human rotaviruses are linked to their subgroup antigenic specificities. Long pattern isolates usually belong to subgroup 2 (SG2) and short pattern to subgroup 1 (SG1). To date detection of only 4 isolates which do not follow this linkage, have been reported. In the present communication we report the detection of unusually large number (39 isolates) of long pattern human isolates with SG1 specificities.

title: Entero-adherent Escherichia coli is an important diarrhoeagenic agent in infants aged below 6 months in Calcutta, India.
abstract: Escherichia coli adherent to HEp-2 and HeLa cells were isolated from the faeces of 43 (19.7%) of 218 hospitalised infants aged below 6 months with acute diarrhoea. No conventional virulence factors, including enterotoxin production--heat-labile (LT) or heat-stable (ST), the verotoxin (VT) or shiga-like toxin (SLT)--or the invasive phenotype (determined by the Sereny test) could be detected among these isolates. Out of the 43 isolates, 16 (37.2%) were of the known enteropathogenic O:K serogroups--enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). The remaining 27 (62.8%) isolates showed different types of adherence to HEp-2 and HeLa cells which was diffuse (40.7%), localised (37.0%), or both (22.3%); they were identified as entero-adherent E. coli (EAEC). The EAEC isolates adhered to HEp-2 and HeLa cells in the presence of mannose, lactose, fucose, galactose, and fetuin, indicating that adhesion was not specific for these sugars or glycoprotein. Haemagglutination and the salt aggregation test (SAT) did not correlate with patterns of adherence. The results of this study indicate that LA-EAEC is an important aetiological agent of acute diarrhoea in infants aged below 6 months in Calcutta.

title: Molecular characterization of rare bovine group A rotavirus G15P[11] and G15P[21] strains from eastern India: identification of simian SA11-like VP6 genes in G15P[21] strains
abstract: During a surveillance study (November 2001–March 2005), one rare G15P[11] and two rare G15P[21] bovine group A rotavirus strains were detected in diarrhoeic calves in Eastern India. Sequence analysis of the VP8*, VP6, NSP4 and NSP5 genes of the G15P[11] strain confirmed its bovine origin. Although the NSP4 and NSP5 genes of the two G15P[21] strains were of bovine origin, their VP6 genes shared higher nucleotide and amino acid identities with simian strain SA11 (92.5–93.1% and 98.5–98.7%) than bovine strains (88.5–88.9% and 97–97.2%), and by phylogenetic analysis, exhibited clustering with SA11, distantly related to bovine strains. All these pointed towards a possible reassortment event of VP6 gene between bovine and simian (SA11-like) strains. Therefore, the present study provided molecular evidence for bovine origin of G15 strains and revealed a rare instance of genetic diversity in the bovine VP6 gene, otherwise conserved in group A rotavirus strains from cattle.

title: Serovars of multi-antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli from the freshwater environs of Calcutta, India.
abstract: For a period of one year (March 1987 to February 1988), the incidence of Escherichia coli was determined in water, sediment and plankton collected from two sampling sites in a freshwater lake extensively used by humans and animals. Densities of E. coli associated with plankton was the lowest while sediments, especially at site 2, harbored high densities of the organism. Correlation coefficients revealed that the density of E. coli in water samples was linearly correlated to temperature, pH of water, sediment and humidity. Stepwise multiple regression analysis, however, showed that sediment temperature was the dominant variable which could explain 27% of the observed variation in the numbers of E. coli in the overlying waters (p = less than 0.001). Of the 150 environmental E. coli strains which were characterized, 31 (20.7%) were found to belong to the classic enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) serogroups. Seven of the serogroups among the environmental EPEC strains were also encountered from EPEC strains isolated from human cases during a concurrent clinical study. None of the 150 environmental strains were enterotoxigenic or enteroinvasive but 4 strains possessed HEp-2 cell adhesive factor. With the exception of one, all the EPEC strains isolated were multi-drug resistant. From this study, it was evident that the lake is an important source of infection of EPEC and other related diarrheagenic E. coli.

title: Evidence for a new rotavirus subgroup in India.
abstract: Monoclonal antibodies specific for rotavirus subgroup 1 (SG1) and subgroup 2 (SG2) were used to analyse by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) the subgroups of human rotavirus isolates obtained from three different parts of India during the period September 1985 to July 1987. We identified one isolate which failed to react with either SG1 or SG2 specific monoclonal antibodies, although it reacted well with a monoclonal antibody specific for group A rotaviruses. This finding suggests that it belongs to a new rotavirus subgroup. Further, another isolate was found to belong to SG1 although it had a 'long' electropherotype.

title: Noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) of a univentricular heart with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
abstract: Electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) is a noninvasive functional imaging modality which reconstructs epicardial potentials, electrograms, and activation and recovery maps from body-surface ECG potentials. For this purpose, up to 256 ECGs are recorded by a 256-channel body surface potential mapping (BSPM) system and the heart-torso geometry is obtained using thoracic computed tomography (CT)1,2. This technique was developed and validated extensively in normal and abnormal canine hearts3–11. More recently, ECGI was validated in humans by comparison with direct intra-operative epicardial mapping in patients undergoing open-heart surgery12. To date, ECGI has been applied in adult human subjects for the following purposes: 1. To study cardiac electrophysiology of the normal adult human heart2. 2. To image electrophysiologic responses to pacing in heart failure patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy13 (pacing sites were localized with an accuracy better than 10 mm)14. 3. To guide catheter ablation of focal ventricular and atrial tachycardias15,16. 4. To image typical atrial flutter prior to catheter ablation1 and atypical atrial flutter prior to a surgical Cox-Maze procedure17. 
 
Here we describe for the first time, a case where ECGI was applied to a pediatric patient with a congenital structural heart defect. The patient had a univentricular heart and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and ECGI was used to localize the accessory pathway and help guide catheter ablation. To date, there have been no reported cases of ECGI in the pediatric population.

title: Identifying rare variants from exome scans: the GAW17 experience
abstract: Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 (GAW17) provided a platform for evaluating existing statistical genetic methods and for developing novel methods to analyze rare variants that modulate complex traits. In this article, we present an overview of the 1000 Genomes Project exome data and simulated phenotype data that were distributed to GAW17 participants for analyses, the different issues addressed by the participants, and the process of preparation of manuscripts resulting from the discussions during the workshop.

title: Whole genomic analysis reveals the porcine origin of human G9P[19] rotavirus strains Mc323 and Mc345.
abstract: The group A rotavirus (RVA) P[19] is a rare P-genotype of the RVA VP4 gene, reported so far in humans and pigs. Whole genomic analyses of P[19] strains are essential to study their origin and evolutionary patterns. To date, all the 11 genes of only two P[19] strains, RVA/Human-wt/IND/RMC321/1990/G9P[19] and RVA/Human-wt/IND/mani-97/2006/G9P[19], have been analyzed, providing evidence for their porcine origin. In the present study, the whole genomes of the first reported human P[19] strains, RVA/Human-tc/THA/Mc323/1989/G9P[19] and RVA/Human-tc/THA/Mc345/1989/G9P[19], were analyzed. Strains Mc323 and Mc345 exhibited a G9-P[19]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1 genotype constellation. With the exception of the NSP5 gene, both the strains were closely related to each other. Most of the genes of Mc323 (VP2-4, VP6-7, NSP1-4 genes) and Mc345 (VP2-4, VP6-7 and NSP1-5 genes) appeared to be of porcine origin, whilst the exact origin of VP1 and NSP5 genes of Mc323 and VP1 gene of Mc345 could not be ascertained. Therefore, strains Mc323 and Mc345 were found to have a porcine RVA genetic backbone, and are likely of porcine origin. Taken together, our observations corroborated the hypothesis that P[19] strains might be derived from porcine RVAs, providing important insights into the origin of P[19] strains, and on interspecies transmission of RVAs.

title: Full genomic analysis of a simian SA11-like G3P[2] rotavirus strain isolated from an asymptomatic infant: identification of novel VP1, VP6 and NSP4 genotypes.
abstract: We report here the full genomic analysis of a simian SA11-like G3P[2] group A rotavirus (GAR) strain, B10, isolated from an asymptomatic infant in Kenya in 1987. By nucleotide sequence identities and phylogenetic analyses, the VP7-VP4-VP2-VP3-NSP1-NSP2-NSP3-NSP5 genes of strain B10 exhibited maximum genetic relatedness to those of the different isolates of simian strain SA11, and were assigned to the G3-P[2]-C5-M5-A5-N5-T5-H5 genotypes, respectively. On the other hand, the VP1, VP6 and NSP4 genes of strain B10 did not belong to any of the established GAR genotypes, and therefore, were assigned to new genotype numbers R8, I16 and E13, respectively, by the Rotavirus Classification Working Group. These observations suggested that strain B10 might have originated from reassortment event/s involving simian SA11-like strains and GAR strains from unknown animal host species (possibly other wild animals) preceding transmission to humans. Alternatively, considering the lack of data on simian GARs, it might be also possible that the VP1, VP6 and NSP4 genes of strain B10 are those of unknown simian strains, and that strain B10 might be a typical simian strain that was directly transmitted to humans. Therefore, either hypothesis pointed towards a rare instance of possible direct transmission of GARs from an animal host (possibly a monkey or some other wild animal) to humans. This was corroborated by the presence of different species of wild animals including non-human primates, and unhygienic conditions at the sampling site. To our knowledge, the present study is the first report on the detection of a simian SA11-like G3P[2] GAR strain in humans.

title: Solitary fibrous tumour: a diagnostic dilemma.
abstract: Solitary fibrous tumour (SFT) is a rare spindle cell neoplasm arising at pleural and extrapleural sites. Five cases of SFT diagnosed at our institution over a five year period were reviewed. Haematoxylin and eosin stained histological sections, immuno-histochemical markers including CD34 and electron microscopy were the different methods used to study these tumours. Three histological features were consistently observed in all the tumours: the tumours were composed of short spindle cells separated by dense collagen bands and arranged in alternate hypocellular and hypercellular areas. CD34 positivity was seen in all the cases. SFT's have been reported to behave in an unpredictable fashion and hence prolonged follow up is essential. Histology, CD34 positivity and electron microscopy are useful tools in diagnosing SFT. While the pleural tumours can be diagnosed based on histology, this must be substantiated by ancillary techniques in case of extrapleural tumours.