Publications by authors named "Mohamed-Ali Snoussi"

Background: Rabies is a fatal viral disease preventable by vaccination. The multiple-dose regimens, along with the high production costs of current rabies vaccines, limit their use in rabies-endemic countries with developing economies and consequently there is a need for new efficacious, low-cost rabies vaccines. This study investigates the immunogenicity of recombinant rabies virus glycoprotein (rRABVG), expressed in the yeast (), as a candidate subunit rabies vaccine.

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The aim of this study was to measure the extent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among workers at the Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT), a public health laboratory involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, and to identify risk factors for infection in this occupational setting. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on IPT workers not vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Participants completed a questionnaire that included a history of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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This study shows, for the first time, natural infection among spp. in an endemic region of Tataouine, South Tunisia. To better characterize the transmission cycles in this complex focus of mixed transmission, detection and species identification were performed by direct examination, internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1)-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and sequencing of (.

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Seroprevalence studies are essential to get an accurate estimate of the actual SARS-CoV-2 diffusion within populations. We report on the findings of the first serosurvey conducted in Tunis prior to the implementation of mass vaccination and analyzed factors associated with seropositivity. A household cross sectional survey was conducted (March-April 2021) in Tunis, spanning the end of the second wave and the beginning of the third wave of COVID-19.

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Background: This study was initiated to evaluate, for the first time, the performance and quality of the influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance system in Tunisia.

Methods: The evaluation covered the period of 2012-2015 and used different data sources to measure indicators related to data quality and completeness, representativeness, timeliness, simplicity, acceptability, flexibility, stability and utility.

Results: During the evaluation period, 485.

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One portion of the family Paramyxoviridae is a group of Unclassified Morbilli-Related Viruses (UMRV) recently recognized in wild small mammals. At a global level, the evolutionary history of these viruses is not properly understood and the relationships between UMRV and their hosts still remain largely unstudied. The present study revealed, for the first time, that Rodentia associated UMRV emerged from a common ancestor in southern Africa more than 4000 years ago.

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A study was undertaken between November 2008 and March 2010, in the focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis of Central Tunisia, to evaluate the role of Psammomys obesus (n=472) and Meriones shawi (n=167) as reservoir hosts for Leishmania major infection. Prevalence of L. major infection was 7% versus 5% for culture (p=not signifiant [NS]), 19% versus 16% for direct examination of smears (p=NS), and 20% versus 33% (p=NS) for Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test among P.

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Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania major (L. major), is endemic in Tunisia. Several rodents have been identified as reservoir hosts of parasites.

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The efficiency of an inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccine produced on BHK-21 cells, according to an in-house developed process, was evaluated and compared to a commercial cell-tissue culture vaccine (Rabisin). Fifteen experimental dogs from local common breed were duly conditioned during a quarantine period, then vaccinated via the subcutaneous route with 1 ml of either the tissue culture vaccine developed in-house or the commercial vaccine Rabisin. The immune response of each dog was monitored for 162 days.

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