diff --git a/git/index/base.py b/git/index/base.py
index 04a3934d6..9ca663f4a 100644
--- a/git/index/base.py
+++ b/git/index/base.py
@@ -569,6 +569,11 @@ def _preprocess_add_items(self, items):
         """ Split the items into two lists of path strings and BaseEntries. """
         paths = []
         entries = []
+        # check if is iterable, else put in list
+        try:
+            test_item = iter(items)
+        except TypeError:
+            items = [items]
 
         for item in items:
             if isinstance(item, string_types):
@@ -580,7 +585,7 @@ def _preprocess_add_items(self, items):
             else:
                 raise TypeError("Invalid Type: %r" % item)
         # END for each item
-        return (paths, entries)
+        return paths, entries
 
     def _store_path(self, filepath, fprogress):
         """Store file at filepath in the database and return the base index entry
@@ -801,6 +806,12 @@ def _items_to_rela_paths(self, items):
         """Returns a list of repo-relative paths from the given items which
         may be absolute or relative paths, entries or blobs"""
         paths = []
+        # check if is iterable, else put in list
+        try:
+            test_item = iter(items)
+        except TypeError:
+            items = [items]
+
         for item in items:
             if isinstance(item, (BaseIndexEntry, (Blob, Submodule))):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item.path))
diff --git a/git/test/test_index.py b/git/test/test_index.py
index a30d314b5..6195e76b4 100644
--- a/git/test/test_index.py
+++ b/git/test/test_index.py
@@ -772,7 +772,14 @@ def test_compare_write_tree(self, rw_repo):
             orig_tree = commit.tree
             self.assertEqual(index.write_tree(), orig_tree)
         # END for each commit
-
+    
+    @with_rw_repo('HEAD', bare=False)
+    def test_index_single_addremove(self, rw_repo):
+        path = osp.join('git', 'test', 'test_index.py')
+        self._assert_entries(rw_repo.index.add(path))
+        deleted_files = rw_repo.index.remove(path)
+        assert deleted_files
+        
     def test_index_new(self):
         B = self.rorepo.tree("6d9b1f4f9fa8c9f030e3207e7deacc5d5f8bba4e")
         H = self.rorepo.tree("25dca42bac17d511b7e2ebdd9d1d679e7626db5f")