An Observational Study to Explore the Presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes in Patients with Shitapitta, Udarda, and Kotha

This exploratory cross-sectional observational study aims to understand whether common bacteria present in the nose or throat are found in people suffering from Shitapitta, Udarda, and Kotha. These three conditions are described in classical Ayurvedic texts as itchy, raised skin eruptions with different dosha predominance, and are clinically comparable to recurrent urticaria-like skin rashes.

Patients aged 16–60 years attending the OPD, IPD, referral clinics, and special camps of Amrita School of Ayurveda Hospital will be consecutively recruited after diagnosis by a qualified Ayurvedic physician based on classical features such as nidana, lakshana, and dosha involvement. After informed consent, participants will undergo clinical assessment and nasal and/or throat swab collection under aseptic precautions. The samples will be examined in the microbiology laboratory to identify the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Each participant’s demographic details, clinical findings, and laboratory results will be systematically recorded using unique identification numbers.

The primary objective is to determine how many patients with each condition show bacterial carriage and to compare the frequency among Shitapitta, Udarda, and Kotha. Secondary objectives include exploring relationships between bacterial presence and Ayurvedic diagnostic features, identifying differences in clinical presentation between patients with and without bacterial carriage, and describing demographic factors associated with bacterial presence.

The study is observational and exploratory in nature, focusing on identifying patterns rather than establishing cause-and-effect relationships. Findings may help clarify whether these three conditions represent distinct clinical entities and may provide supportive evidence for integrating classical Ayurvedic concepts with contemporary microbiological understanding.