AIM: We examined 14 Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates collected in 2000 from patients hospitalised in different wards at Charle Nicolle hospital from Tunisia. METHODS: Analysis includes serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, beta-lactamase detection, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA and pulsed field gel electrophoresis. All Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains belonged to serotype O12 and they demonstrated a high level of resistance to all antibiotioc tested. RESULTS: Beta-lactamase detection revealed that 9 of these strains had ceftazidime activity restored by cloxacillin and none of the 14 strains were metallo-beta-lactamase producing. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis and pulsed field gel electrophoresis were able to discriminate isolates and gave concordant results which showed epidemiologically related strains. CONCLUSION: These results confirm a clonal spread of multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa O12 throughout the hospital.
AIM: We examined 14 Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates collected in 2000 from patients hospitalised in different wards at Charle Nicolle hospital from Tunisia. METHODS: Analysis includes serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, beta-lactamase detection, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA and pulsed field gel electrophoresis. All Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains belonged to serotype O12 and they demonstrated a high level of resistance to all antibiotioc tested. RESULTS:Beta-lactamase detection revealed that 9 of these strains had ceftazidime activity restored by cloxacillin and none of the 14 strains were metallo-beta-lactamase producing. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis and pulsed field gel electrophoresis were able to discriminate isolates and gave concordant results which showed epidemiologically related strains. CONCLUSION: These results confirm a clonal spread of multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa O12 throughout the hospital.