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Introduction: Bacteria are the most commonly reported etiological agents in infections. As a result, antibiotic resistance is a real public health problem. The objective of this study is to evaluate the frequency of isolation of bacteria and the sensitivity of the most frequent antibiotic bacteria to the outhospital environment. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective study of descriptive type. It was carried out at the 4 medical analysis laboratories of Rabat city over a period of six months. Inclusion criteria were all positive specimens: urinary examination, vaginal swab, urethral swab, pus, sputum, sperm. The exclusion criteria concerned patients with negative examinations and other microorganisms (viruses, mycoses and parasites). Data collection was done using a fact sheet. An antibiogram is performed for the study of resistance. The exploitation of the data was performed and analyzed statistically. Results: Of a total of 3689 samples, 900 isolated strains were responsible for bacterial infections and meeting the inclusion criteria. 608 strains were enterobacteria with a prevalence of 67.2%. The bacteriological profile was largely dominated by Escherichia coli (47.1%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.4%) and Staphylococcus agalactiae (8.1%)... The results of the cytobacteriological examination showed that pathogenic bacteria affect women more than men with 70% of cases, the elderly are the most affected by bacteria with 31.8% of cases. For enterobacteriaceae, the weakest sensitivities in an extra-hospital environment were recorded with Amoxicillin followed by Ticarcillin, Cefalotin, and Amoxicillin+clavulanic acid, respectively. On the other hand, the highest sensitivities in extra-hospital settings were observed for Imipenem, Colistin, Furan, Aminoglycosides. Conclusion: The overall results showed an increase in the resistance of certain bacteria. This elevation could be related to the selection pressure due to the misuse of antibiotics. Regular monitoring is essential to define effective and appropriate therapeutic strategies, limiting the emergence and spread of highly resistant strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Bacterial infections are a real public health problem; they are common in both hospitals and community settings. The objective of our work is to describe the epidemiological situation, and the profile of the sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics in the extrahospital environment. Material and Methods It is a prospective study of descriptive type. It was carried out at the 3 medical analysis laboratories of Meknes city over a period of eight months. Inclusion criteria were all positive specimens: urinary examination, vaginal swab, urethral swab, pus, sputum, sperm. The exclusion criteria concerned patients with negative examinations and other microorganisms. An antibiogram is performed for the study of resistance. The exploitation of the data was performed and analyzed statistically. Results We collected a total of 762 samples, 675 strains of Gram-negative bacilli (88.6%), 83 of Grampositive cocci (10.9%), and 10 Gram-negative cocci (0.5%). The most frequent bacteria are Escherichia coli (69.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.7%), Staphylococcus sp. (4.6%). Urinary cytobacteriological examinations are the most frequent (90.7%), followed by vaginal samples (3.8%), and urethral samples (1.8%). The elderly population is the most affected with a female predominance (66%). The sensitivity of Enterobacteriaceae is reduced for Amoxicillin (25.6%), and Ampicillin (22.8%). On the other hand, the highest sensitivities were observed for Imipenem (100%), Amikacin (94.1%) and Colistin (96.6%). Conclusion The etiological profile of bacterial infections and that of the sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics are likely to vary in space and time, which requires action at all levels of society to reduce the impact and limit the propagation of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the Editor: West Nile virus (WNV) infections were reported in horses in Morocco in 1996, 2003 (1), and 2010 (2). The isolates from 1996 and 2003 belong to WNV [...]

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the frequencies of KRAS , NRAS, and BRAF mutations and their possible associations with clinicopathological features in 249 Moroccan patients with colorectal cancer (CRC)., Methods: A retrospective investigation of a cohort of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of 249 patients with CRC was screened for KRAS / NRAS / BRAF mutations using Idylla™ technology and pyrosequencing., Results: KRAS , NRAS, and BRAF mutations were revealed in 46.6% (116/249), 5.6% (14/249), and 2.4% (6/249) of patients. KRAS exon 2 mutations were identified in 87.9% of patients (102/116). KRAS G12D and G12 C were the most frequent, at 32.8% and 12.93%, respectively. Among the patients with KRAS exon 2 wild-type (wt), 27.6% (32/116) harbored additional KRAS mutations. Concurrent KRAS mutations were identified in 9.5% (11/116); including six in codon 146 (A146P/T/V), three in codon 61 (Q61H/L/R), one in codon 12 (G12 A and Q61H), and one in codon 13 (G13D and Q61 L). Among the NRAS exon 2 wt patients, 64.3% (9/14) harbored additional NRAS mutations. Concurrent NRAS mutations were identified in 28.6% (4/14) of NRAS -mutant patients. Since 3.2% wt KRAS were identified with NRAS mutations, concomitant KRAS and NRAS mutations were identified in 2.4% (6/249) of patients. KRAS mutations were higher in the >50-year-old age-group ( P = .031), and the tumor location was revealed to be significantly associated with KRAS mutations ( P = .028) predominantly in left colon (27.5%) and colon (42.2%) locations. NRAS mutations were most prevalent in the left colon (42.8%) and in well-differentiated tumors (64.2%)., Conclusion: Detection of KRAS mutations, particularly the G12 C subtype, may be significant for patients with CRC and has possible therapeutic implications. However, rare KRAS concomitant mutations in CRC patients suggest that each individual may present distinct therapeutic responses. KRAS testing alongside the identification of other affected genes in the same patient will make the treatments even more personalized by contributing more accurately to the clinical decision process. Overall, early diagnosis using novel molecular techniques may improve the management of CRC by providing the most efficient therapies for Moroccan patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: The effect of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) treatment on length of stay (LoS) in patients hospitalized with influenza is unclear., Methods: We conducted a one-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis exploring the association between NAI treatment and LoS in patients hospitalized with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection. Using mixed-effects negative binomial regression and adjusting for the propensity to receive NAI, antibiotic, and corticosteroid treatment, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Patients with a LoS of <1 day and those who died while hospitalized were excluded., Results: We analyzed data on 18 309 patients from 70 clinical centers. After adjustment, NAI treatment initiated at hospitalization was associated with a 19% reduction in the LoS among patients with clinically suspected or laboratory-confirmed influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection (IRR, 0.81; 95% CI, .78-.85), compared with later or no initiation of NAI treatment. Similar statistically significant associations were seen in all clinical subgroups. NAI treatment (at any time), compared with no NAI treatment, and NAI treatment initiated <2 days after symptom onset, compared with later or no initiation of NAI treatment, showed mixed patterns of association with the LoS., Conclusions: When patients hospitalized with influenza are treated with NAIs, treatment initiated on admission, regardless of time since symptom onset, is associated with a reduced LoS, compared with later or no initiation of treatment., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: This study was conducted to assess the biosafety knowledge among laboratory staff working in Morocco., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among all laboratory staff in public and private clinical diagnostic and research laboratories between December 5, 2018, and January 5, 2018. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire distributed via Google Form., Results: A total of 235 participants completed the study questionnaire with an estimated response rate of 19%. Overall, 79% of respondents had a high or intermediate level of knowledge. Only 17.4% had participated in prior formal biosafety training courses. The level of knowledge did not differ significantly with gender or activity sector, but it increased with work experience. Knowledge was generally intermediate for signage and principles of biosafety levels (42.1%), low for distinction between technical operations that could pose a risk by generating aerosols (30.2%), and high for wearing personal protective equipment and its components (92.8%). There was a very high level of knowledge on proper waste sorting (100%)., Conclusion: These findings underline the need for establishing a biosafety policy and strengthening biosafety training programs in laboratories in Morocco., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© ABSA International 2018.)