title: In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing of human Brucella melitensis isolates from Qatar between 2014 - 2015.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brucellosis is one of the most common zoonotic disease affecting humans and animals and is endemic in many parts of the world including the Gulf Cooperation Council region (GCC). The aim of this study was to identify the species and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella strains isolated from clinical specimens, from Qatar.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated 231 Brucella isolates. All isolates were identified as B. melitensis. All the isolates were susceptible to doxycycline, tetracycline, streptomycin, gentamicin, trimethoprim / sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin except rifampicin, where 48 % of the strains showed elevated MICs (>1 mg/L). The rifampicin-resistance related hotspots within the rpoB gene were amplified and sequenced using PCR and no rpoB mutations were found in strains with rifampicin MICs of >2 mg/L.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified B. melitensis as the etiological agent of brucellosis in Qatar. No resistant isolates were detected among conventionally used antimicrobial agents.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Division, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. adeshmukh@hamad.qa.
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deshmukh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. F.Hagen@cwz.nl.
authors.forename: Ferry
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Division, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. oalsharabasi@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Ola Al
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Sharabasi
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Division, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. MABRAHAM2@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Mariamma
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Division, Al Khor Hospital, Doha, Qatar. gwilson@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Godwin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Division, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. sdoiphode@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doiphode
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. malmaslamani@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Muna Al
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maslamani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. jacques.meis@gmail.com.|Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. jacques.meis@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jacques F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Meis
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005839:Gentamicins; D013752:Tetracycline; D004318:Doxycycline; D012293:Rifampin