Clonal Dissemination of NDM-Producing Proteus mirabilis in a Teaching Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia
<i>Proteus mirabilis</i> (<i>P. mirabilis</i>) is an opportunistic pathogen involved in urinary tract infections as well as various nosocomial infections. Emerging resistances to beta-lactams in this species complicates potential treatment since it is intrinsically resistant to colistin. Eleven isolates of carbapenem-non-susceptible <i>P. mirabilis</i> were identified in Sousse Hospital, Tunisia, from January 2018 to December 2022. MICs were determined and isolates were sequenced to determine their resistomes, sequence types, virulence factors, and their clonal relationships. Susceptibility testing showed that all isolates were resistant to carbapenems, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, chloramphenicol, and the trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole combination. They remained susceptible to the aztreonam/avibactam combination. All isolates produced NDM-1 carbapenemase and ArmA 16S rRNA methylase. In addition, one isolate co-produced the <i>bla</i><sub>VEB-6</sub> gene. All isolates belonged to ST135, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that they were closely related. This study described the first outbreak of NDM-1-producing <i>P. mirabilis</i> in Tunisia.
Authors
- Delphine Girlich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7698-2798)
- Walid Naija
- Nadia Jaidane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6141-423X)
- L. Tilouche (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6568-6662)
- Saoussen Oueslati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5766-3831)
- Abdelhalim Trabelsi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7833-3273)
- Thierry Naas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9937-9572)
- Laurent Dortet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6596-7384)
- Rémy A. Bonnin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2307-3232)
- Sana Azaiez
- Wejdène Mansour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9030-2533)
- Aymeric Jacquemin
Institutions
- Inserm (FR)
- University of Monastir (TN)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- CNR de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques (FR)
- Hôpital Sahloul (TN)
- Bicêtre Hospital (FR)
- University of Sousse (TN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pathogens
- Published
- 2025-03-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14030298
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.55
Funders
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Université Paris-Saclay