The incidence and prevalence of serious fungal diseases in Tunisia.

With increasing concern about the negative health impact of fungal disease, there is a need to survey what is and is not known about the epidemiology of these infections in Tunisia. We have estimated the incidence and prevalence of the most serious fungal diseases in Tunisia for the first time. Using published literature from Tunisia, or if absent other countries, we have estimated the burden of life-threatening fungal infections and those causing significant morbidity, using deterministic modeling, based on populations at greatest risk.

Access to the World Health Organization-recommended essential diagnostics for invasive fungal infections in critical care and cancer patients in Africa: A diagnostic survey.

Background: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) contribute to significant morbidity and mortality among patients with haemato-oncological conditions, seriously ill hospitalised patients and those in intensive care (ICU). We surveyed for the World Health Organization-recommended essential diagnostic tests for IFIs in these risk groups in Africa.

Methods: The Global Action For Fungal Infections (GAFFI) evaluated the different levels of access to both diagnostics for IFIs for populations in Africa, with the aim of building a comparative dataset and a publicly available interactive map.

Unexpected predominance of rotavirus G9P[8] strain in Tunisian adult diarrheal patients.

Group A Rotavirus (RVA) is known to be a major cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children but its role as a potential pathogen in immunocompetent adults is probably underestimated. To compare RVA infections in patients from different age groups. Fecal samples were collected from patients aged from birth to 65 years, hospitalized or consulting for AGE between 2015 and 2017.

Molecular characterization of group A rotavirus among children aged under 5 years in Tunisia, 2015-2017.

The aim of the present study was to report the molecular characterization of human group A rotaviruses (RVAs) circulating in Tunisia. Stool specimens were collected from children under 5 years of age who had been hospitalized or were consulting for gastroenteritis in Tunisian hospitals between 2015 and 2017. All samples were screened by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of the VP6 gene specific for RVA.

IgG western blot for confirmatory diagnosis of equivocal cases of toxoplasmosis by EIA-IgG and fluorescent antibody test.

The performance values of available techniques used in serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis are satisfactory but they raise problems of equivocal and discordant results for very low IgG titers. Recently marketed, LDBio-Toxo II IgG Western blot (IB) showed an excellent correlation with the dye test. We estimated the proportion of equivocal and discordant results between the enzyme immunoassay Platelia Toxo IgG (EIA-IgG) and fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and assessed the usefulness of the IB as a confirmatory test.

Investigation of a cluster of Candida albicans invasive Candidiasis in a neonatal intensive care unit by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Nosocomial invasive candidiasis (IC) has emerged as a major problem in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). We investigated herein the temporal clustering of six cases of neonatal IC due to Candida albicans in an NICU. Eighteen isolates obtained from the six neonates and two isolates from two health care workers (HCWs) working at the same unit and suffering from fingers' onychomycosis were genotyped by electrophoretic karyotyping (EK) and restriction endonuclease analysis of genomic DNA by using Sfi I (PFGE-Sfi I).

Geotrichum capitatum septicemia in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Report of three cases.

Geotrichum capitatum infection is uncommon, and has been exclusively reported in immunocompromised patients. The prognosis is poor with a mortality rate ranging from 50 to 90%. We report 3 cases of Geotrichum capitatum fungemia in neutropenic patients receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloblastic leukemia.

[Acanthamoeba keratitis. Report of 3 cases diagnosed in central Tunisia].

Background: Amoeba of the genus Acanthamoeba are ubiquitous free-living protozoa encountered in water and soil. They frequently cause sight-threatening keratitis.

Aim: Report of the three first cases diagnosed at the laboratory of Parasitology of Sousse Hospital, (Tunisia).

[Digestive parasitism in Sousse area. Results of a 16 years retrospective study].

To report the prevalence and type of intestinal parasites together with their kinetics in Sousse region. Our retrospective study concern data from the examination of 56,268 stool samples and 7552 tape tests, performed in the laboratory of parasitology of F. Hached Sousse hospital from 1st January 1987 up to 31 December 2002.