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The COVID-19 pandemic presents a serious public health challenge in all countries. However, repercussions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections on future global health are still being investigated, including the pandemic’s potential effect on the emergence and spread of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Critically ill COVID-19 patients may develop severe complications, which may predispose patients to infection with nosocomial bacterial and/or fungal pathogens, requiring the extensive use of antibiotics. However, antibiotics may also be inappropriately used in milder cases of COVID-19 infection. Further, concerns such as increased biocide use, antimicrobial stewardship/infection control, AMR awareness, the need for diagnostics (including rapid and point-of-care diagnostics) and the usefulness of vaccination could all be components shaping the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this publication, the authors present a brief overview of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated issues that could influence the pandemic’s effect on global AMR.

We present the description of Sanguibacter massiliensis sp. nov., Actinomyces minihominis sp. nov., Clostridium minihomine sp. nov., Neobittarella massiliensis gen. nov. and Miniphocibacter massiliensis gen. nov., new bacterial species isolated by culturomics from human stool samples. Keywords: Actinomyces minihominis sp. nov., Clostridium minihomine sp. nov., Miniphocibacter massiliensis gen. nov., Neobittarella massiliensis gen. nov., Sanguibacter massiliensis sp. nov

International audience; This study supports the main characteristics of the new genus and new species 'Phoenicibacter massiliensis' strain Marseille-P3241(T) (CSUR P3241), a new bacterium isolated from a stool sample of a healthy 47-year-old pygmy woman.

International audience; This study supports the main characteristics of a new genus 'Gabonibacter timonensis' strain Marseille-P3388 (CSUR P3388); a new member of the Gabonibactergenus and Porphyromonadaceae family, that was isolated from a stool sample of a healthy 47-year-old Pygmy woman.

International audience; This study supports the main characteristics of a new genus 'Pygmaiobacter' and a new species 'Pygmaiobacter massiliensis' strain Marseille-P3336 (CSUR P3336);that was isolated from a stool sample of a healthy 47-year-old Pygmy woman. The Institut Fédératif de Recherche ethics committee, gave approval for this study under the number 09-022. Samples were collected for microbial content description as part of the human microbiome description by culturomics.

International audience; We report the main characteristics of a new species 'Raoultibacter timonensis' strain Marseille-P3277 (CSUR P3277), a new member of the genus Raoultibacter,that was isolated from a stool sample of a healthy 11-year-old Pygmy woman.

Symptoms of gastroenteritis compatible with a food-borne outbreak started appearing among employees at the central headquarters of a “Bank” located in Beirut, Lebanon, on the evening of Monday 17 May 2004. Earlier on that day, many employees had had lunch at the bank cafeteria. All of those with signs and symptoms had eaten the main dish of chicken noodles au gratin served at the cafeteria on that day. The chicken noodle dish had been brought from the kitchen of a local catering company in 2 large serving containers. This catering company has an excellent reputation in Beirut and had been serving the Bank for more than a year with no previous problems reported. Public health officers alerted to the outbreak went to the caterer on May 18 in line with legal regulations. Based on the mandate of an obsolete law they were supposed to “destroy” the remains of the “poisoned” food items. This kind of policy usually renders all evidence-based epidemiological investigations impossible. Fortunately, a portion of leftovers of the chicken noodles had been hidden by the caterers from the public health food inspectors, in anticipation of potential court action. Those leftovers were sent on 18 May to the Central Laboratory, the government reference laboratory in Beirut. On 19 May, testing of the remains of the incriminated dish demonstrated the presence of S. enterica Serovar Enteritidis, thus confirming the contamination of the dish.

Several studies have reported the isolation of resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli in Lebanon. However, those studies are new and scarce as compared to worldwide data and mostly restricted to single center studies. In this review, we attempt to provide a reliable and comprehensive report describing the current situation and providing prospects for bacterial resistance in Lebanon. Several studies have shown that Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains are being increasingly reported. Moreover, 2.15% of E. coli and 7.84% of K. pneumoniae isolates have shown carbapenem resistance and up to 30% of isolated E. coli strains were found to be Multi-Drug Resistant. Molecular studies showed that the most widespread β-Lactamases in Lebanon are of the CTX-M-15 and SHV types. In addition, K. pneumoniae strains producing metallo-β-Lactamase and Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase have been reported. Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii caused several nosocomial infections and some Acinetobacter baumannii strains were found to produce OXA-58 type ESBL. The few data addressing the rate of antibiotic consumption in Lebanon show a high rate of antibiotic misuse and abuse. In conclusion, there is a need for antibiotic stewardship programs and additional studies that go beyond the scope of single-center studies in Lebanon.