Characterization and antibiotic susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from poultry and red meat in Morocco

This study was carried out on 426 samples of raw meats collected from butcheries and supermarkets in Casablanca, Morocco. The samples were examined for the occurrence of Listeria species. Strains of Listeria monocytogenes were characterized by several biochemical tests and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). β-hemolytic cultures and nonhemolytic isolates were tested for biochemical properties with the Listeria API test. Among the 43 Listeria species isolates; we identified 10 strains for L. monocytogenes (23.3%), 31 strains for L. innocua (72.1%) and 2 strains for L. welshimeri (4.6%). Strains of L. monocytogenes were separated by multiplex PCR; two serogroups IIb and IVb were thus differentiated. Antibiotic susceptibility of L. monocytogenes to 21 antibiotics was determined by the disk diffusion method. All isolates were susceptible to a wide range of the tested antibiotics with the exception of nalidixic acid, colistine and cephalosporins second and third generation for which they were all resistant

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Ticks, Morocco

Identified rickettsiae were 4 pathogens, 2 suspected pathogens, and 1 incompletely described species

Analyse de la consommation des antihypertenseurs au Maroc : période 1991-2005

Introduction : La prise en charge médicamenteuse des maladies chroniques au Maroc, notamment l'hypertension artérielle, reste problématique. Objectifs : Évaluer la consommation, la segmentation et la part du marché des génériques, des antihypertenseurs au cours de la période 1991-2005 au Maroc. Méthodes utilisées : Les données ont été extraites des déclarations de la société IMS Health (Intercontinental Marketing Service) pour le Maroc. Ces données ont concerné les ventes aux officines uniquement et ont été exprimées en doses définies journalières (DDJ) pour mille habitants par jour. Résultats : La consommation des antihypertenseurs est passée de 2 à 10 DDJ/1000 entre 1991 et 2005. La famille des médicaments diurétiques était la plus consommée (3,5 DDJ/1000) suivie des bétabloquants non associés (2DDJ/1000). La segmentation était représentée essentiellement par les diurétiques (34 %) et les bétabloquants (20 %). Le marché des génériques des antihypertenseurs est passé de 3,3 % en 1991 à 21,7 % en 2005. Conclusion : La consommation des antihypertenseurs au Maroc reste trop faible malgré une tendance croissante des médicaments génériques

Socio-economic and environmental factors associated with Montenegro skin test positivity in an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in northern Morocco

In Marocco, many aspects of human asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) still have to be clarified and little information is available about the factors that predispose individuals to asymptomatic infection. A prospective study was carried out in 889 healthy children under the age of 15 years living in two provinces in the endemic area in northern Morocco (the provinces of Taounate and My Yacoub) from April to May 2010. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and the socio-economic and environmental characteristics associated with infection by Leishmania infantum. The Montenegro skin test (MST) was used to detect asymptomatic infection. The prevalence of transmission of infection was 11.4% and approximately 2 times higher in Taounate than in My Yacoub, as measured by MST. Asymptomatic infection was associated with gender, age, presence of familial links, proximity to chickens, and the number of people in the house and locality, but it was not associated to education status, presence of dogs, livestock waste, sewage disposal, water supply system or use of insecticide

Treatment outcomes of drug resistant tuberculosis patients in Morocco: multi-centric prospective study

Abstract Background Drug resistant tuberculosis is a major public health problem in Morocco and worldwide. Treatment outcome of drug resistant tuberculosis is poor and requires a long period of treatment with many toxic and expensive antituberculosis drugs. The aim of this study is to evaluate treatment outcomes of drug resistant tuberculosis and to determine predictors of poor treatment outcomes in a large region of Morocco. Methods It is a multi-centric observational cohort study conducted from January 01, 2014 to January 01, 2016. A questionnaire was established to collect data from clinical charts of patients with confirmed resistant TB. The study was carried out in all the 11 centers located in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region of Morocco where drug resistant tuberculosis is treated. Treatment outcomes were reported and the definitions and classifications of these outcomes were defined according to the WHO guidelines. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to determine factors associated with poor drug resistant tuberculosis treatment outcomes in Morocco. Results In our study, 101 patients were treated for drug resistant tuberculosis between January 01, 2014 and January 01, 2016. Patients’ age ranged from 9.5 to70 years; 72patients (71.3%) were male and 80 patients (79.2%) were living in urban areas. Thirty two patients were smokers, 74 patients had multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, 25 patients had rifampicin resistance and 2 patients had isoniazid resistance. Treatment outcomes of tuberculosis patients were as follows: 45 patients were cured (44.5%), 9 completed treatment (8.9%), 5 patients died before completing the treatment, 35 patients were lost to follow up (34.6%) and 7 patients had treatment failure. In the multivariate analysis, being a smoker is an independent risk factor for poor treatment outcomes, (p-value = 0.015, OR = 4.355, IC [1.327–14.292]). Conclusion Treatment success outcomes occurred in more than half of the cases, which is lower than the World Health Organization target of at least a 75% success rate. A significant number of patients abandoned their treatment before its completion. These dropouts are a serious public health hazard that needs to be addressed urgently