No abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b><b> </b>Community-acquired urinary tract infection is one of the most common reasons for consultation in everyday practice; it represents a major source of antibiotic consumption. <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) is the main pathogen incriminated. <b><i>Objective:· </i></b>The aim of this study was to evaluate antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of community-acquired uropathogenic <i>E coli</i> throughout a 7-year period. <b><i>Methodology:</i></b><b> </b>All strains of <i>E. coli</i> isolated from urine samples between January 1st 2012 and December 31st 2018 were included. Presence of ≥ 10³ CFU/ml in urine culture media was considered as significant for urinary tract infection. The identification of <i>E. coli</i> strains was realized using standard laboratory techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method according to the CA-SFM/ EUCAST criteria. <b><i>Results: </i></b>A total of 1,335 <i>E. coli</i> strains were isolated. Overall susceptibility rates to antimicrobial agents were as follows: ampicillin 39.1%, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid 64.9%, cefotaxime 94.9%, trimethoprim/sulfamethox-azole 67.6%, ciprofloxacin 89.2%, ofloxacin 86.9%, amikacin 98.6%, gentamicin 93.9%, nitrofurantoin 97.6% and fosfomycin 99.3%. All isolates were susceptible to carbapenems. The frequency of extended spectrum beta-lactamases-producing <i>E. coli</i> strains was 4.7%. Susceptibility rates of <i>E. coli</i> for ampicillin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and amikacin remained relatively stable over the study period, whereas susceptibility to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime and fluoroquinolones showed a 2-phase pattern. As for gentamicin, a continuous decrease in susceptibility rates was observed. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b><b> </b>Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of uropathogenic <i>E. coli</i> are constantly changing, due to modifications in the antibiogram interpretation criteria and antibiotic prescription habits. Rigorous surveillance of resistance rate is necessary to determine appropriate empirical treatment and limit the spread of multiresistant strains.

The aims of this study are to determine seroprevalence of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Tunisian blood donors and to evaluate its risk of parenteral transmission. Sera collected from 426 blood donors were tested for HEV IgG by indirect ELISA. Individuals were recruited from two national transfusion centers, in the North and the South of the country. Seroprevalence of HEV IgG was then compared with two other groups with increased risk of exposure to parenterally transmitted agents: 80 hemophiliac and 286 hemodialysis patients. Among blood donors, the seroprevalence was estimated to be 4.5%. It was significantly higher in the hemophiliac and hemodialysis groups with 7.5% and 10.2%, respectively, (P = 0.002). No significant correlation was observed for this IgG 1 seroprevalence between age and sex among three studied groups. These results suggest that HEV has a high risk of parenteral transmission and confirm that the low endemicity of hepatitis E in Tunisia was observed.

No abstract