Multicenter pilot survey of resistant bacteria in the Mediterranean area.

With the aim of testing the feasibility of a multiresistant bacteria (MRB) surveillance methodology and evaluating the level of antimicrobial resistance and dissemination of resistant pathogens in the Mediterranean area, a pilot study was carried out in nine university hospitals in Algeria, Tunisia and France. The results indicate that third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae comprise the major MRB in Algerian and Tunisian hospitals. In France, the highest incidence rates were found for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, while in Tunisian hospitals, imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii seems to be a particularly prevalent organism. Although the data were not representative of the participating countries as a whole, the results show the importance and ubiquity of the problem in the area and the feasibility of surveillance.