title: Environmental Staphylococcus aureus contamination in a Tunisian hospital.
abstract: One hundred hospital environment samples were obtained in 2012 in a Tunisian hospital and tested for Staphylococcus aureus recovery. Antimicrobial resistance profile and virulence gene content were determined. Multilocus-sequence-typing (MLST), spa-typing, agr-typing and SmaI-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were performed. Two methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates typed as: ST247-t052-SCCmecI-agrI were recovered from the intensive care unit (ICU). Ten samples contained methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and these samples were collected in different services, highlighting the presence of the tst gene encoding the toxic shock syndrome toxin as well as the lukED, hla, hlb, hld and hlgvvirulence genes in some of the isolates. In conclusion, we have shown that the hospital environment could be a reservoir contributing to dissemination of virulent S. aureus and MRSA.
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules actives, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis , Université de Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisie.
authors.forename: Haythem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gharsa
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules actives, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis , Université de Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisie.
authors.forename: Raoudha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dziri
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules actives, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis , Université de Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisie.
authors.forename: Naouel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klibi
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules actives, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis , Université de Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisie.
authors.forename: Sarra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chairat
authors.affiliation: b Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular , Universidad de La Rioja , Logroño , Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: b Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular , Universidad de La Rioja , Logroño , Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: c Military Hospital of Tunis , Montfleury , Tunisia.
authors.forename: Ridha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bellaaj
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire des Microorganismes et Biomolécules actives, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis , Université de Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisie.|d Institut Supérieur des Sciences Biologiques Appliquées de Tunis , Université de Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisie.
authors.forename: Karim Ben
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Slama
mesh_terms: D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014416:Tunisia; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
keywords: Environmental hospital; Methicillin-resistance; Staphylococcus aureus; TSST; Tunisia