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Prevalence of infectious multi-drug resistant bacteria isolated from immunocompromised patients in Tunisia


Arij Mechergui
Wafa Achour
Sondos Mathlouthi
Assia Ben Hassen

Abstract

Objectives: A retrospective study was conducted in the Bone Marrow Transplant Center of Tunisia during a period of 10 years (from 2002 to 2011) in order to report the prevalence of infectious multi-drug resistant bacteria.
Methods: Bacterial identification was carried on the basis of biochemical characteristics and API identification systems. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by disc diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar.
Results: During the study period, 34.5% of 142 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains and 11.46% of 218 Escherichia coli strains were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers. Also, 32.8% of 210 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were imipenem and/or ceftazidime resistant and 20.75% of 106 strains of Staphylococcus aureus were methicillin resistant. A rising trend was observed for the prevalence of the selected multidrug resistant bacteria.
Conclusion: These findings may have important clinical implications in prophylaxis and selection of antibiotic treatment. Continuous surveillance is needed, especially for onco-hematological patients.

Keywords: Infectious multi-drug resistant bacteria, immunocompromised patients, Tunisia.


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eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905