Phenotypic and molecular characterization of vancomycin resistant enterococci from wild birds: first detection of a plasmid-borne vanC1 in Enterococcus faecalis.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are a public health concern as they lead to therapeutic impasses and play a pivotal role in the dissemination of vancomycin resistance genes. As recent evidence suggests that wildlife can play a role in the dissemination of bacterial resistomes, this study explored the potential role of Algerian wild birds as a reservoir of VRE. A total of 222 cloacal and fecal samples were collected from various wild bird species and screened for VRE using a selective medium.

High rates of intestinal colonization with carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are major human pathogens because, these cause high number of difficult-to-treat infections. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) recipients are highly exposed to these type of bacteria. The aim of our study was to investigate prevalence of CRE colonization in AHSCT patients and to determine genes encoding carbapenem resistance.

Co-occurrence of blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-23 in carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii belonging to high-risk lineages isolated from burn patients in Tunisia.

Aims: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-Ab) is an important cause of infections in burn patients. This study aimed to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of CR-Ab isolated from burns in Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) of the Trauma and Burn Centre of Ben Arous, to determine the prevalence of β-lactamase-encoding genes and to search eventual genetic relatedness of CR-Ab strains.

Methods And Results: From 15 December 2016 to 2 April 2017, all nonduplicated CR-Ab isolated in burn patients in the BICU were screened by simplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the class A, B, C, and D β-lactamase genes.

Detection of carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa co-harboring blaVIM-2 and blaGES-5 in burn patients.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the major infectious agents in burn patients. Globally, high rates of antimicrobial resistance in P. aeruginosa have been reported, which is a cause of concern.

Occurrence of High-Risk Clonal Lineages ST58, ST69, ST224, and ST410 among Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Isolated from Healthy Free-Range Chickens () in a Rural Region in Tunisia.

Antimicrobial-resistant isolates have emerged in various ecologic compartments and evolved to spread globally. We sought to (1.) investigate the occurrence of ESBL-producing (ESBL-Ec) in feces from free-range chickens in a rural region and (2.

Dissemination of epidemic ST239/ST241-t037-agrI-SCCmecIII methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Tunisian trauma burn intensive care unit.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen causing health care-infections in the world, especially in burns. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of dissemination of MRSA isolated from burn patients in Burn Intensive Care Unit in Tunisia and to evaluate the frequency of virulence and antibiotics resistance genes. Among the 72 S.

Tunisian Multicenter Study on the Prevalence of Colistin Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Gram Negative Bacilli: Emergence of Harbouring the Gene.

Background: Actually, no data on the prevalence of plasmid colistin resistance in Tunisia are available among clinical bacteria.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the current epidemiology of colistin resistance and the spread of the gene in clinical Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) isolated from six Tunisian university hospitals.

Methods: A total of 836 GNB strains were inoculated on COL-R agar plates with selective screening agar for the isolation of GNB resistant to colistin.

Full Genome Characterization of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Causing a Fatal Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient in Tunisia.

(HRSV) is a virus belonging to the genus that causes lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in infants worldwide. In Tunisia, thousands of infants hospitalized for LRTI are found to be positive for HRSV but no whole genome sequences of HRSV strains circulating in this country are available thus far. In this study, five nasal swab samples collected at different time points from a three-month-old female baby with severe immunodeficiency that was hospitalized for acute bronchiolitis were investigated by next generation sequencing.

An intermittent outbreak of contaminating hematopoietic stem cells resulting in infusate-related blood stream infections.

Microbial contamination of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), used for autologous and allogenic transplantations, is rare but could cause serious blood stream infection in transplanted patients. These infections occur immediately, or later following the formation of biofilm on the catheter lumen. The present study describes an intermittent HSC contamination associated with nosocomial bacteremia: from October 2011 to April 2015, 17  strains were isolated in HSC bags ( = 14) and blood cultures ( = 3) in patients hospitalized in the National Bone Marrow Transplant Center.

Genetic characterization of ESBL/pAmpC-producing Escherichia coli isolated from forest, urban park and cereal culture soils.

Little is known about the role of forestland and non-fertilized agriculture soils as reservoirs of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and plasmid-borne AmpC (pAmpC)-producing Escherichia coli isolates. Thus, in the present study, 210 soil samples from various origins (forest of Oued Zen (Ain Drahem), non-agriculture soils from different park gardens in Tunis City, cereal culture soils and home gardens) were investigated to characterize cefotaxime-resistant E. coli isolates.

Performances of single tube nested polymerase chain reaction and GeneXpert ultra on Formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues in the diagnosis of tuberculous spondylodiscitis.

Introduction: Tuberculous Spondylodiscitis is the most common form of musculoskeletal tuberculosis. Molecular techniques on fresh tissues are proved to improve the diagnosis of tuberculous spondylodiscitis and to allow a rapid diagnosis to initiate the treatment and prevent neurological complications.

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the diagnostic performances of single tube nested PCR and GeneXpert ultra in the diagnosis of tuberculous spondylodiscitis on formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues.

High Carbapenem Resistance Caused by VIM and NDM Enzymes and OprD Alteration in Nonfermenter Bacteria Isolated from a Libyan Hospital.

and are among the most prevalent pathogens causing a wide range of serious infections in hospitalized patients and contaminating intensive care units and inanimate surfaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of carbapenem resistance in clinical and hospital environmental isolates of and recovered from a Libyan hospital. From a total of 82 Gram-negative bacteria, 8 isolates of and 3 isolates of exhibited resistance to imipenem with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 16 to >32 μg/mL.

Coagulase negative Staphylococcus bacteremia in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: Clinical features and molecular characterization.

The purpose of our study was to investigate the epidemiology of coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) responsible for bacteremia in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients and to determine the prevalence and the genetic background of methicillin resistance. The prevalence of CoNS bacteremia was 7.4% (54/728), higher in allograft (10.

Multidrug resistant bacteremia in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Background: Bacteremia become fearsome in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients with the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains.

Aim: Our purpose was to investigate the prevalence of MDR bacteremia in HSCT recipients at the Tunisian National Bone Marrow Transplant Center, associated factors and attributable mortality rate.

Methods: Our retrospective study (January 2010-December 2017) included all MDR bacteremia in the Hematology department.

The objective clinical evaluation in multiple stations in nutrition : Docrimological analysis.

Context: As part of its pedagogical reform, the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis integrated since 1998 the objective clinical evaluation in multiple stations (ECOSM), as sanctioning evaluation at the end of the internships. However, this method has never been evaluated in nutrition.

Objective: Carry out a docimological analysis of the ECOSM in nutrition intended for students of the 2nd year of the Second Cycle of Medical Studies (DCEM 2).

OBJECTIVE MULTI-STATION CLINICAL EVALUATION IN PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY. CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND PERCEPTION.

Background: Multi-station objective clinical evaluation (MSOCE) is an equitable and genuine formative and normative assessment tool that is deemed relevant to its effectiveness, reliability and validity in clinical evaluation. However, no experience with its application in pathological anatomy has been published.

Aim: To carry out a critical analysis and a perceptual study of the MSOCE in pathological anatomy in medical students.

Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections at a Tunisian onco-hematology ward.

Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are with high rates of mortality and an additional cost, in onco-hematology patients.

Aim: To assess the prevalence trends of HAIs in the onco-hematology ward of the Tunisian National Bone Marrow Transplant Center (NBMTC), and to determine the principal associated risk factors.

Methods: Six repeated point prevalence surveys were conducted, from May 2018 to March 2019, using a two months interval.