War and Cryptocurrency markets: An Empirical Investigation

International audienceUsing daily returns on the top ten cryptocurrencies and the event study methodology, we estimate cryptocurrency abnormal returns around the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our findings indicate that except for Binance coin, cryptocurrencies have negatively reacted to the war, but at different scales. For Binance coin, positive abnormal returns are reported. Our findings hold over the post war announcement period and when using alternative measures of abnormal returns based on different asset pricing models

Imipenem Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Wien Related to Porin Loss and CMY-4 β-Lactamase Production

Two multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Wien strains (SW468 and SW1107) were isolated in 2001 in Tunis. Both strains produced the β-lactamases TEM-1, SHV-2a, and CMY-4, whereas strain SW1107 also produced the β-lactamase CTX-M-3. The imipenem-resistant strain (SW468) was totally devoid of the OmpF-immunorelated porin. Imipenem resistance was shown as being related to porin loss and CMY-4 β-lactamase production

Clonal lineages detected amongst tetracyclineresistant meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates of a Tunisian hospital, with detection of lineage ST398

Tetracycline resistance has been postulated as a potential phenotypic marker of livestockassociated lineage ST398 amongst meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates in some European hospitals. The objective of this study was to determine if this marker could also be applied to Maghrebian countries. In total, 99 MRSA isolates were collected in a Tunisian hospital during January 2011October 2012, and 24 tetracycline-resistant MRSA isolates of this collection were characterized. All isolates were tested for antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes, molecular typing, and virulence genes. Multilocus sequence typing showed that the majority of the isolates (19/24) belonged to clonal complex CC8 (ST247, n512 isolates; ST239, n56isolates; ST241, n51 isolate). The remaining isolates belonged to CC398 (ST398, n51 isolate), CC5 (ST5 and ST641, n52 isolates), and CC80 (ST728, n52 isolates). Spa typing discriminated MRSA in eight spa types: t052 (n512 isolates), t037 (n55 isolates), t044 (n52 isolates), and t899, t129, t311, t1744 and the new t14712 (n51 isolate each). Three agr groups were found amongst the studied isolates: agr group I (n520 isolates), agr group II (n52) and agr group III (n52 isolates). We report the detection of one MRSA ST398t899 isolate in the nasal sample of a farmer patient in Tunisia, representing the first report of ST398 in humans in Africa. Tetracycline resistance seems not to be a good phenotypic marker for MRSA ST398 strains in Tunisia, where CC8 was the most prevalent lineage. Continuous efforts to understand the changing epidemiology of this micro-organism are necessary not only for appropriate antimicrobial treatment and effective infection control, but also to monitor its evolution. © 2015 The Authors

First report of nosocomial infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae ST147 producing OXA-48 and VEB-8 β-lactamases in Tunisia

International audienc

High Prevalence of GES-5 Variant and Co-Expression of VIM-2 and GES-45 among Clinical <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Strains in Tunisia

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) are a global health concern. The antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and molecular typing of 57 CRPA isolated from 43 patients who attended a specific Tunisian hospital from September 2018 to July 2019 were analyzed. All but one were multidrug-resistant CRPA, and 77% were difficult-to-treat-resistant (DTR) isolates. The blaVIM-2 gene was detected in four strains (6.9%), and among the 36 blaGES-positive CRPA (62%), the blaGES-5 gene was the predominant variant (86%). Three strains co-harbored the blaVIM-2 and blaGES-45 genes, and seven CRPA carried the blaSHV-2a gene (14%). OprD alterations, including truncations by insertion sequences, were observed in 18 strains. Regarding the 46 class 1 integron-positive CRPA (81%), the blaGES-5 gene was located in integron In717, while the blaGES-29 and blaGES-45 genes were found in two new integrons (In2122 and In4879), and the blaVIM-2 gene was found in In1183 and the new integron In2142. Twenty-four PFGE patterns and thirteen sequence types (three new ones) were identified. The predominant serotype O:11 and exoU (81%) were mostly associated with ST235 and the new ST3385 clones. The seven blaSHV-2a-CRPA from different patients belonged to ST3385 and the same PFGE pattern. The blaGES-5- and blaVIM-2 + blaGES-45-positive CRPA recovered mostly from ICU patients belonged to the high-risk clone ST235. Our results highlight the alarming prevalence of blaGES-5- and ST235-CRPA, the co-existence of blaGES-45 and blaVIM-2, and their location within integrons favoring their dissemination