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In this paper, we investigate the epidemiology of infections-associated Staphylococcusaureus (S. aureus) from the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at University Hospital Center of Constantine (UHCC) in Algeria, with a special emphasis on methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) revealed by cefoxitin disks (30 μg), then confirmed by penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) agglutination and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting mecA and mecC genes. Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec type), staphylococcal protein A (spa-type), multilocus sequence type (MLST), Panton–Valentine Leucocidin (PVL), and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) were further investigated in all isolates, and whole genome sequencing was performed for a selected subset of three hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) isolates. A measurement of 80% out of the 50 S. aureus isolates were identified as HA-MRSA harbouring the mecA gene, and 72.5% of them were multidrug resistant (MDR). Twelve STs, four different SCCmec cassettes, fourteen spa types, ten isolates Panton–Valentine Leukocidin (PVL)-positive, and three isolates TSST-1 were identified. Interestingly, there was a high prevalence (n = 29, 72.5%) of a worrisome emerging clone: the HA-MRSA ST239/241 SCCmec-III mercury with PVL negative, resistant to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, and tetracyclines. Other clones of HA-MRSA isolates were also identified, including PVL-positive ST80 SCCmec-IV/SCCmec-unknown (22.5%), ST34 SCCmec-V with TSST-1 positive (2.5%), and PVL-negative ST72 SCCmec-II (2.5%). Genome analysis enables us to describe the first detection of both PVL-negative HA-MRSA ST239/241 SCCmec-III mercury carrying ccrC, as well as SCCmec-V cassette, which dramatically changes the epidemiology of S. aureus infections in one of the hospitals in eastern Algeria.

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ, Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the rickettsia-like Coxiella burnetii and leads to abortions and decreased reproductive performances in domestic ruminants. A serological survey, using ELISA test, was conducted to assess the prevalence of this infection in 226 ewes belonging to 39 flocks localized in Constantine (North-eastern Algeria). A pretested questionnaire has been submitted to farmers/shepherds to collect information related to relevant risk factors. Results revealed the presence of C. burnetii antibodies in 12.4% (95% CI: 8.08%−16.72%) of individual animals while 35.9% (95% CI: 21.20%−52.82%) of sampled flocks accounted at least one seropositive ewe. Significant causative associations were observed for origin of animals (χ2=14.29, P=0.001), vaccination against enterotoxaemia (χ2=12.12, P=0.002) and pox (χ2=5.30, P=0.025), access to the farm by foreign visitors (χ2=10.87, P=0.004), farmers/shepherds’ visits to other farms (χ2=6.31, P=0.021), disinfection frequency (χ2=7.98, P=0.046), pest infestation within farms (χ2=9.55, P=0.049) and abortion history (χ2=5.54, P=0.029). This recorded prevalence of Coxiella infection would indicate a possible responsibility of this agent in causing abortion and reproductive failures in the tested flocks. Implementing active surveillance programs and further investigations using more accurate analyses and including large samples of more animal species from several provinces are needed to eluci date the real occurrence and dynamics of this infection in the national livestock.

This current study attempted to examine the occurrence rates of Enterobacteriaceae in seafood samples collected from different fishmongers in the province of Constantine (Northeast Algeria) over a one-year period. Total and fecal coliforms were enumerated and selected Enterobacteriaceae colonies were identified. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella isolates were serotyped, after which their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) encoding genes, virulence genes (stx1, stx2 and eae) and plasmid-harboring were searched among E. coli isolates and their clonality was also assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results showed that fecal coliform contamination levels are beyond the recommended limits. All strains of Salmonella (n = 2) isolated were of serovar infantis. One E. coli isolate from sardines belonged to serotype O127 and two others (one from sardines and one from shrimps) were identified as serotype O125. One E. coli isolate from sardines was characterized as enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) and six others as shiga toxin-producing (STEC) (three from sardines and three from shrimps). All tested strains were multidrug resistant, with five E. coli strains showing an ESBL phenotype and harboring the blaCTX-M-15 gene (four from sardines and one from shrimps). Plasmids of differents sizes were extracted from seven E. coli isolates (five from sardines and two from shrimps) with many strains carrying more than one plasmid. E. coli isolates belonged to two phylogenetic groups (B1 and, mainly, E) and scattered on eight distinct clones as defined by PFGE. Some strains are grouped within the same cluster regardless of their origin and characteristics, indicating a common source of contamination. These findings demonstrate that, in the study region, sardines and shrimp may play an important role in the dissemination of virulent and multi-drug resistant enterobacteria strains.

Background: The therapeutic safety of herbal medicine is a major concern for consumers and users. After studying the effects of linseed on hair growth in rabbits, the turn is to evaluate its safety by the observation of some clinical, biological and anatomo-pathological aspects. Materials and Methods: A study was conducted during a period of three months on two groups of rabbits (control and test). Test group daily received feed supplemented with 3g of ground linseed while the control animals received the same feed without any additives. Weekly, rabbits were weighed and monthly blood samples were taken. By the end of the trial, liver and kidneys biopsies were analyzed for histological and cytological lesions. Results: There was no significant improvement in weight gain in the test group rabbits, in which biochemical parameters had differentially evolved with a decrease in their Glycemia and cholesterolemia. There were also no modifications in their serum hepatic and renal marker enzymes and their liver and kidneys exhibited noticeably normal histology without any anatomically detectable anomalies. Conclusion: These findings confirm that prolonged linseed ingestion in rabbits is safe.

A 31-months study was conducted to elucidate the prevalence of brucellosis in nomadic pastoralists and their goats in two provinces of the eastern Algerian high plateaus. Five hundred eight human and 4955 animal sera were screened with the Rose Bengal plate test and the complement fixation test for confirmation. Uterine fluids from aborting goats were subjected to microbiological analyses to determine the biovars responsible for abortions. The overall seroprevalence was 0.98 % among animals and 15.84 % among herds. A significant correlation was recorded between occurrence of brucellosis and herd size (r = 0.4046, P < 0.0001) as well as age (χ2 = 5.809, P = 0.0159) and sex of animals (χ2 = 20.09, P < 0.0001); 89.65 % of human cases were related to positive herds and the infection rate was higher in men (7.6 %) than in women (6 %) and children (0.92 %). Brucella melitensis biovar 3 was the only aetiology of brucellosis-associated abortion in goats of the studied region.

International audience; The spread of toxinogenic Staphylococcus aureus is a public health problem in Africa. The objectives of the study were to investigate the rate of S. aureus nasal carriage and molecular characteristics of these strains in livestock and humans in three Algerian provinces. Nasal samples were collected from camels, horses, cattle, sheep and monkeys, as well as humans in contact with them. S. aureus isolates were genotyped using DNA microarray. The rate of S. aureus nasal carriage varied between species: camels (53%), humans and monkeys (50%), sheep (44.2%), horses (15.2%) and cattle (15%). Nine methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates (7.6%) were identified, isolated from camels and sheep. The S. aureus isolates belonged to 15 different clonal complexes. Among them, PVL+ (Panton-Valentine Leukocidin) isolates belonging to ST80-MRSA-IV and ST152-MSSA were identified in camels (n = 3, 13%) and sheep (n = 4, 21.1%). A high prevalence of toxinogenic animal strains was noted containing TSST-1- (22.2%), EDINB- (29.6%) and EtD- (11.1%) encoding genes. This study showed the dispersal of the highly human pathogenic clones ST152-MSSA and ST-80-MRSA in animals. It suggests the ability of some clones to cross the species barrier and jump between humans and several animal species.

Background: Burns are among the most prevalent injuries in humans with high cost in health care and heavy prolonged or permanent physical, psychological and social consequences. Commercial antimicrobial creams and dressing agents are unsuccessful in healing deep burn wounds. Materials and Methods: A study was conducted to assess the impact of crude linseed oil (LSO) topical application on burn wounds healing in rabbits in comparison with untreated wounds (NAT) and those treated with Vaseline gel (VAG) and Cicatryl-Bio ointment (CBO). By the 28th day post burning, skin biopsies were analyzed for histological and cytological lesions. The presence of various bioactive phytochemical groups in linseed was also screened. Results: Phytochemical screening has resulted in high concentrations of flavonoids and terpenoids, low amounts of catechic tannins and total absence of alkaloids and saponosides. All along the trial, the rate of wounds contraction was found to be significantly higher in burns treated with LSO which had also a significant shorter healing period (26±5.89 days) as compared to the other treatments. LSO healed wounds included less inflammatory cells, complete epithelium regeneration with a reduced thickness of the new formed dermis, discreet fibrosis, enhanced neo-vascularization, increased number of collagen fibers, fibroblasts and many myofibroblasts. Additionally, no adverse effects of LSO on cicatrization process were recorded. Conclusion: These findings prove the safety and efficaciousness of linseed oil topical application in the therapy of burn wounds.

The aim of the study was to assess the frequency and diversity of carbapenemases and extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) produced by Escherichia coli isolates from patients hospitalised in the Regional Military Hospital of Constantine (Algeria). E. coli isolates were collected over a 2-year period from patients presenting E. coli infections. Strains with reduced susceptibility to ertapenem and/or positive for ESBL were characterised with regard to antibiotic resistance, bla genes, phylogenetic groups, O25 serotyping, quinolone resistance, repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) profiles and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Of the 448 isolated E. coli, 94 (20.9 %) were multidrug-resistant. One of them (1.1 %) produced a bla OXA-48 and was identified as a B1 ST5 strain. The transposon bearing this gene was Tn1999.2. This strain was isolated from a patient coming from a border province with Tunisia, where this carbapenemase is endemic. In addition, 84 (18.8 %) isolates among them produced an ESBL with predominance (97.6 %) of bla CTX-M-15, which was coupled with qnr genes in 10.9 %. ESBL-producing strains were mainly detected in phylogroups D and A. They displayed 20 rep-PCR profiles and all the clonally related isolates were of the same sequence type (ST). Ten strains (9.4 %) belonged to the pandemic clone ST131. This study describes for the first time the presence of OXA-48-producing E. coli and the emergence of the intercontinental ST131 bla CTX-15-producing E. coli strains in Algeria.

International audience; The objectives of this study were to determine rates, patterns, and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, and to assess connections between chicken commensal, human commensal, and pathogenic ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates. All E. coli isolates collected from chickens, their farmers, and patients in the Constantine region (North-east Algeria) were analyzed for bla and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) gene contents, phylogroups, Rep-PCR profiles, and multilocus sequence types. A high prevalence of resistance to fluoroquinolones (51.4 % to ciprofloxacin) was recorded in avian isolates. Of these, 22.2 % carried the aac(6')-Ib-cr gene, whereas lower resistance levels to these antibiotics were recorded in chicken farmers' isolates. None of the commensal isolates harbored the qnr, qepA, or oqxAB genes. One human pathogenic isolate was ertapenem-resistant and harbored the bla OXA-48 gene, 84 showed an extended-spectrum β-lactamase phenotype, with bla CTX-M-15 gene prevalent in 87.2 % of them. Seventy isolates were resistant to fluoroquinolones, with aac(6')-Ib-cr present in 72.8 %, qnrB in 5.7 %, and qnrS in 10 %. Three Rep-PCR profiles were common to chicken commensal and human pathogenic isolates (phylogroups D and B1; ST21, ST48, and ST471 respectively); one was found in both chicken and chicken-farmer commensal strains (D; ST108), while another profile was identified in a chicken-farmer commensal strain and a human pathogenic one (B1; ST19). These findings suggest clonal and epidemiologic links between chicken and human ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli isolates and the important role that poultry may play in the epidemiology of human E. coli infections in the Constantine region.

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec is a genetic mobile element that carries the gene mecA mediating the methicillin resistance in staphylococci. The aim of this study is to type the Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) in 64 non-redundant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains recovered at the military hospital of Constantine (Algeria) between 2005 and 2007. Methicillin resistance was detected by oxacillin and cefoxitin discs and PBP2a test, and then confirmed by mecA PCR. The SCCmec complex types were determined by real time PCR. The analysis showed that 50 isolates were hospital acquired (HA-MRSA) and 14 were community-acquired (CA-MRSA). SCCmec type IV and V (traditionally attributed to CA-MRSA) were harbored by both HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA, while SCCmec type I, II and III were not recorded. These findings motivate more investigations to be carried on HA-MRSA in our hospital and other national health care centers.