“Psychosis and Escherichia Coli Infection: A Forgotten Issue”: Our Observation

Sir,

Reminding us on the important relation between certain infections and their drug treatment, which may sometimes result in the psychiatric problems, Wiwanitkit made a nice effort in highlighting an important aspect of preventive medicine.[1] In this context, we would like to share our recent experience. On March 6, 2013, our hospital organized a Medical Camp in a destitute home in Patiala, Punjab. On detailed examination by a team of experts from Psychiatry and Dermatology Departments, many of the inmates of the destitute home were suffering from psychiatric disorders and some were severely mentally retarded. Common skin infections/infestations included tinea, scabies, and pediculosis. One of the problems, we observed was a gastrointestinal complaint of abdominal pain and diarrhea in many of the patients. When we enquired about quality of drinking water available, the workers there told us that, though filtered water was available for inmates, many of them did not drink water properly and that was the possibly the reason of abdominal complaints. Later, as we read the article by Prof. Wiwanitkit, we realized that occasional, if not many, psychological disorders in settings like a destitute home may be ascribed to lack of basic amenities to these unfortunate people, though there is probably no direct proof of it. However, it may be noted that a recent meta-analysis found that childhood central nervous system viral (but not bacterial) infections were associated with approximately two-fold increased risk of adult schizophrenia/psychosis.[2] Thus, preventive medicine at community level has a larger role to play.