title: First report of VIM-2 metallo-β-lactamases producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in Morocco.
abstract: The emergence and the rapid spread of Pseudomonas aeruginosa carrying carbapenemases represent a serious threat to public health due to their delicate therapy. This work was performed to establish the resistance profile and to detect carbapenemases producing in 123 P. aeruginosa isolates. Among these 55 are environmental isolates and 68 are from the two major hospitals of Meknes-Tafilalet region in Morocco. All strains were tested against 14 antipseudomonal drugs by disc diffusion method. On carbapenem resistant strains minimum inhibitory concentrations of imipenem were determined by the E-test method. The modified Hodge test and EDTA tests were used for the detection of carbapenemases and metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), respectively. PCR and DNA sequencing were conducted to detect carbapenemase-encoding genes and the enzyme types. 12% of isolates was susceptible to all antibiotics tested and Carbapenem resistance was observed in 33 P. aeruginosa isolates, 33.3% of them were multi-drug resistant. Among carbapenem resistant strains only two (6.1%) were positive for carbapenemases and also for MBLs. In addition to their resistance to almost all β-lactams tested, the MBLs producing strains were resistant to aminoglycosides. Molecular biology techniques confirmed the phenotypic results obtained for the two strains carbapenemase producers and demonstrated that each one of them carried blaVIM-2. The present study reports the first isolation of blaVIM genes in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa in Morocco. Such isolates represent a serious emerging threat requiring strict hygiene measures to better control their spread.
authors.affiliation: Ecology and Biodiversity of Wetlands Team, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco. Electronic address: ittomaroui@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Itto
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maroui
authors.affiliation: Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Morocco, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Abouddihaj
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barguigua
authors.affiliation: Ecology and Biodiversity of Wetlands Team, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco.
authors.forename: Asmae
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aboulkacem
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Laboratory of Regional Hospital Mohammed V, Meknès, Morocco.
authors.forename: Khadija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ouarrak
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Laboratory of Regional Military Hospital Moulay Ismail, Meknès, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sbiti
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Laboratory of Regional Military Hospital Moulay Ismail, Meknès, Morocco.
authors.forename: Housssain
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Louzi
authors.affiliation: Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Morocco, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timinouni
authors.affiliation: Ecology and Biodiversity of Wetlands Team, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco.
authors.forename: Abdelhaq
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belhaj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology*; D055815:Young Adult; D001618:beta-Lactamases
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; C425108:beta-lactamase bla(vim-2); D001618:beta-Lactamases
keywords: Clinical; Environmental; Metallo-β-lactamases; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Resistance