Aims: To describe bacterial growth on selected inert surfaces in the haemodialysis units of two referral hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and summarise the reported antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of recovered organisms. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional environmental microbiology study. Place and duration: Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (CHUY) and Yaoundé General Hospital (HGY), Cameroon, October 2023 to June 2024. Methods: A total of 146 swab samples were obtained from selected frequently touched environmental surfaces and medical equipment. Samples were cultured following broth enrichment; isolates were characterised using Gram staining and conventional biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated by disc diffusion using the 2023 CA-SFM/EUCAST framework. Results: Of the 146 swabs, 113 yielded bacterial growth (77.4%). Sampling comprised 37 swabs from CHUY and 109 from HGY. The reported isolate inventory included 154 organisms; the displayed genus chart accounts for 150 of these, including 97 staphylococci (24 at CHUY and 73 at HGY). The phenotype summary included 25 isolates labelled methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (16.2% of all 154 reported isolates) and two labelled extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producers (1.3%). The original surface-category summary covered 140 of 146 swabs, limiting interpretation of the category-specific distribution. Conclusion: Frequent bacterial recovery was observed on the selected haemodialysis surfaces. Staphylococci predominated among organisms represented in the genus-level summary, and antimicrobial-resistance phenotypes were recorded. These descriptive findings support careful attention to infection-prevention practices, but do not establish clinical transmission or infection risk
Background: Diabetic foot infections are associated with bacterial diversity and antimicrobial resistance, complicating empirical treatment. Aims: To describe the bacterial profile and antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of bacteria isolated from diabetic foot infections (DFIs) in Abidjan to inform local empirical antibiotic therapy. Study Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional, laboratory-based study. Place and Duration of Study: Clinical Bacteriology Unit, Department of Bacteriology-Virology, Institut Pasteur de Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from January 2019 to December 2022. Methodology: All patients with a culture-positive pus swab from a diabetic foot lesion were included. Isolates were identified by conventional phenotypic methods and API galleries. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion on Mueller-Hinton agar and interpreted according to the EUCAST breakpoints in force each year. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production and methicillin resistance were detected phenotypically. Proportions are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Ninety-five patients were included (60 men, 63.2%; mean age 47.6 years), with 95 isolates tabulated for analysis. Staphylococcus spp. accounted for 37 isolates (38.9%; S. aureus 31, 32.6%), Enterobacterales for 31 (32.6%; Escherichia coli 14, 14.7%) and non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli for 27 (28.4%; Pseudomonas aeruginosa 23, 24.2%). Among Enterobacterales, 10/31 (32.3%; 95% CI 18.6–49.9) produced an ESBL, 10/31 (32.3%) were resistant to fluoroquinolones and 2/31 (6.5%) to imipenem. Methicillin resistance was found in 13/37 staphylococci (35.1%; 95% CI 21.8–51.2). Among P. aeruginosa, 2/23 (8.7%) were resistant to imipenem and none to amikacin; ceftazidime resistance was 8/23, 34.8%. Selected paired co-resistance profiles occurred in 1/37 staphylococci (2.7%), 1/31 Enterobacterales (3.2%), 2/23 P. aeruginosa isolates (8.7%) and 1/4 Acinetobacter spp. isolates (25.0%); these observations alone do not establish overall MDR prevalence. Conclusion: ESBL production was observed in 32.3% of Enterobacterales and methicillin resistance in 35.1% of staphylococci. Imipenem resistance was less frequent among Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa, and no amikacin resistance was detected in P. aeruginosa. Systematic culture with susceptibility testing, periodic local surveillance and empirical regimens adapted to this resistance profile are needed.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance is now recognised as a major global public health threat. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria can persist in the hospital environment, thereby contributing to their dissemination, which underscores the need for regular microbiological monitoring. Aim: This study aimed to determine the proportion of environmental and hand samples harbouring MDR bacteria and to describe the species and resistance profiles recovered in the neonatal and surgical units of the Saint-Louis Regional Hospital Center (CHR), Senegal. Methods: A cross-sectional, one-time, unannounced microbiological investigation was conducted in 2024 in the neonatal and surgical units of the Saint-Louis CHR. Thirty swab samples were collected from high-risk surfaces and equipment in both units, as well as from the hands of healthcare workers in the neonatal unit. After enrichment, samples were cultured on a ceftriaxone-supplemented chromogenic medium and on mannitol salt agar. Isolates were identified using conventional biochemical methods, and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the disk diffusion method according to CA-SFM/EUCAST 2024. MDR was defined as acquired non-susceptibility to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories. Results: Overall, 8 of 30 samples (26.7%; 95% CI 14.2–44.4) yielded an MDR isolate. In the neonatal unit, 5 of 20 samples (25.0%; 95% CI 11.2–46.9) were MDR-positive: extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 4; two patient beds, one healthcare worker’s hand, one desk) and ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (n = 1; reconstituted infant formula). In the surgical unit, 3 of 10 samples (30.0%; 95% CI 10.8–60.3) were MDR-positive: carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (suction device), ESBL-producing Enterobacter spp. (operating table) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (floor). Conclusion: MDR bacteria of infection-control importance were detected on near-patient surfaces, equipment and a healthcare worker’s hand in both units. These findings support the reinforcement of hand hygiene, environmental cleaning and safe infant-formula preparation, and call for repeated, larger environmental surveillance including molecular typing.
Background: Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of considerable public health importance, particularly in tropical regions where inadequate sanitation and rodent proliferation favour bacterial transmission. Urban rodents may act as reservoirs of Leptospira, contributing to environmental contamination and potential human exposure. However, information on the circulation of leptospires in urban rodent populations in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in Daloa, remains limited. Molecular surveillance is therefore essential to improve understanding of their occurrence in urban environments and associated zoonotic risks. Aims: This study aimed to detect Leptospira using molecular methods in urban mice from Daloa and assess the potential risk to nearby human populations. Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Place and Duration of Study: Mice were captured in Daloa from May to December 2024. Methodology: Mice were captured using baited Sherman traps at various urban sites in Daloa, including sewers, markets, and selected households. Following euthanasia, kidney samples were collected, stored at −80 °C, and subjected to DNA extraction using the phenol–chloroform method. The samples were analysed using two PCR assays targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rrs) for the detection of the genus Leptospira and the secY gene, which is specific to pathogenic Leptospira species. Results: Three mice captured in sewer systems tested positive for the genus Leptospira by molecular diagnosis. No samples from markets or households were positive, and no pathogenic species for humans were identified during the study. Conclusion: The detection of the Leptospira genus in urban mice captured in sewers in the city of Daloa highlights the circulation of leptospires in the urban environment and suggests a potential public health risk for nearby populations. These findings underscore the need to strengthen urban sanitation measures, epidemiological surveillance, and further research to characterise the Leptospira species and serovars circulating in Côte d’Ivoire.
Background: Sarcoptic mange is rarely reported in domestic cats, and hospital-based descriptions of naturally occurring infestation remain limited. Aim: To record the occurrence of Sarcoptes scabiei infestation in domestic cats presented to the Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC), Hyderabad, and to describe its clinical features, parasitological diagnosis and response to treatment. Study Design: Hospital-based clinical study. Place and Duration of Study: Veterinary Clinical Complex, College of Veterinary Science, Rajendranagar, P.V. Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University, Hyderabad, India, from January to August 2026. Methodology: All cats presented during the study period were screened for skin disease. Cats with lesions suggestive of mange were examined in detail, and deep skin scrapings from active lesions were cleared in 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) and examined microscopically. Confirmed cases were treated with a selamectin spot-on preparation (6 mg/kg) on days 0 and 30 along with an antihistamine, topical lime sulphur and nutritional support. They were then followed up for clinical recovery. Results: Of the 1,002 cats screened, 36 (3.59%) had lesions compatible with sarcoptic mange, and 14 (1.40%) were confirmed by skin scraping. Cats below one year of age formed the largest group of confirmed cases, followed by those aged 1–3 years, 3–6 years and over six years. Domestic Short Hair cats predominated over Persian and other breeds. Males slightly outnumbered females. Every affected cat was intensely pruritic. Bilateral pinnal crusting, alopecia and erythema were the next most frequent findings, followed by facial lesions, excoriation, scaling, hyperkeratosis, papules and skin fissures. All treated cats made a full clinical recovery with hair regrowth, and none relapsed during follow-up. Conclusion: Sarcoptic mange is uncommon in cats but should be kept in mind whenever a cat presents with severe itching, crusted ear margins, alopecia and erythema. Deep skin scraping is an inexpensive and reliable method of confirming the diagnosis. Selamectin spot-on treatment administered twice at a 30-day interval, together with supportive care, was associated with clinical recovery in the treated cats.
