Outbreak of colistin-resistant carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Tunisia.

Objectives: Mechanisms of colistin and carbapenem resistance among a collection of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates recovered in a university hospital in Tunisia were studied.

Methods: In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing, S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE), Southern blotting and PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) were performed. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), carbapenemases, AmpC-type enzymes and mgrB genes were detected by PCR and sequencing.

Intensive care use in a developing country: a comparison between a Tunisian and a French unit.

Objectives: To compare the variations in intensive care (ICU) outcome in relation to variations in resources utilization and costs between a developed and a developing country with different medical and economical conditions.

Design And Setting: Prospective comparison between a 26-bed French ICU and an 8-bed Tunisian ICU, both in university hospitals.

Patients: Four hundred thirty and 534 consecutive admissions, respectively, in the French and Tunisian ICUs.