Twenty-two carbapenem-resistant enterobacterial isolates were recovered from patients hospitalized between October 2010 and March 2011 at the Royal Hospital of Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Eleven NDM-1, five OXA-48 and one NDM-1 plus OXA-181 producers of diverse ST types were recovered from clinical samples. All carbapenemase genes were located on self-conjugative plasmids and were nearly always associated with other resistance determinants, including extended-spectrum β-lactamases and the ArmA methylase encoding resistance to aminoglycosides. This work highlights the dissemination of NDM-1 and OXA-48-type producers in the Middle East.

To estimate the cost of a screening program for identifying latent tuberculosis (TB) infections in migrants to Oman. Methods: A Markov model was used to estimate the cost of screening using an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) applied to all migrants from high TB endemic countries, followed by preventive TB treatment. Results: The model compared seven different scenarios, with a comparison of the direct cost and the quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) saved. Conclusions: IGRA testing followed by 3 months of preventive treatment with rifapentine/isoniazid (3HP) was the most cost-effective intervention.

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Introduction For Oman, a country targeting tuberculosis (TB) elimination, TB among expatriates is a major challenge. Thus, screening for active TB using chest X-ray was made mandatory for expatriates’ residency renewals. Objective To estimate the incidence of bacteriologically confirmed TB and assess impact of chest X-ray based TB screening among expatriates in Muscat Governorate. Methods Applicants for residency and renewals were mandated for chest X-ray-based TB screening in 2018. We collected data of screened subjects with radiological suspicion of TB who were subjected to further bacteriological evaluation. Results Of 501,290 applicants screened during the study period, 436 (0.09%) had X-ray findings suggestive of TB. Among the 436, TB was confirmed in 53 (12.2%; 95% CI 9.2–15.6), giving an overall prevalence of 10.6 (95% CI 8–13.9) per 100,000 applicants (number needed to be screened 9458). Among renewals, the point prevalence of TB was 10.5 per 100,000 expatriates screened (95% CI 6.9–14.04 per 100,000), with a mean follow-up period of 11.8 years. Conclusion Our findings are consistent with the recommendation for utilization of chest X-ray as a preferred tool for active case finding in the setting of expatriate screening. Our findings are also suggestive of the need for latent TB screening and ruling out TB prior to latent TB treatment.