Monitoring of Streptococcus pneumoniae antibiotic resistance is of great importance due to the frequency of strains becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. In this study, we report the antibiotic susceptibility of the serotypes of S. pneumoniae strains isolated from healthy children aged 1-24 months in the Marrakech region of Morocco. Resistance to penicillin (38.7%) was frequently associated with resistance to other antibiotics. The highest rates of resistance were to cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) (49.3%), erythromycin (48.7%), tetracycline (37.3%), lincomycin (35.3%), chloramphenicol (32.7%) and ciprofloxacin (24%). Prisitinamycin and vancomycin were effective against all isolated pneumococcal strains (100% sensitive strains). Gentamycin demonstrated good efficacy on S. pneumoniae, with 98.7% of strains being sensitive. Multidrug resistance characterized 43.33% of all studied strains. Of the multidrug-resistant strains, 36.92% were resistant to erythromycin (E), tetracycline (T) and cotrimoxazole (Co: sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim) (phenotype ETCo, n = 24), and 20% had decreased susceptibility to beta-lactams, erythromycin and cotrimoxazole (phenotype PECo, n = 13). A total of 29.23% of S. pneumoniae strains exhibited combined resistance to four antibiotics (phenotype PETCo, n = 19). This study reports the status of resistance and multiresistance of S. pneumoniae strains in the Marrakech region of Morocco.

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Background and Objectives: Streptococcus pneumonia (S. pneumoniae) is one of the most frequent pathogens leading to a variety of clinical manifestations. The effects of S. pneumoniae carriage on acute otitis media (AOM) are poorly studied. The study aimed to assess the serotype’s distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility in children with AOM after the implemen- tation of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in Morocco. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective study of AOM children aged 6 to 36 months who visited pediatric centers in Marrakesh between January to June 2018. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire and a swab was col- lected from each child. The S. pneumoniae strains were further identified (Hemolysis, optochin sensitivity, and agglutination test), serogrouped (IMMULEX PNEUMOTEST agglutination test), serotyped (Real time PCR) and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Results: The S. pneumoniae carriage rate was 49.7% (87/175). As estimated, non-vaccine serotypes (NVT) were most prev- alent (51/63; 81%). The most frequent serotypes were 6C/6D (12.7%), 10 (9.5%), and 19B/19C (9.5%). The S. pneumoniae strains that were isolated showed a diminished susceptibility to penicillin G with a rate of 27.5%. Penicillin non-susceptible pneumococci (PNSP) was mostly associated with NVT. More than 90% of S. pneumoniae isolates were susceptible to chlor- amphenicol (97.5%), clindamycin (97.5%), erythromycin (97.5%), levofloxacin (97.5%), pristinamycin (97.5%), gentamicin (92.5%), and teicoplanin (92.5%). Conclusion: Important nasopharyngeal carriage prevalence was reported among children with AOM. The study showed that new NVT are emerging, including 6C/6D and 10. Furthermore, susceptibility was significantly higher against all antibiotics tested except for penicillin G and amoxicillin.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric hepatic‑induced syndrome in which several factors are involved in promoting brain perturbations, with ammonia being the primary factor. Motor impairment, incoordination, and gut dysbiosis are some of the well‑known symptoms of HE. Nevertheless, the link between the direct effect of hyperammonemia and associated gut dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of HE is not well established. Thus, this work aimed to assess motor function in hyperammonemia and gut dysbiosis in mice. Twenty‑eight Swiss mice were distributed into three groups: two‑week and four‑week hyperammonemia groups were fed with an ammonia‑rich diet (20% w/w), and the control group was pair‑fed with a standard diet. Motor performance in the three groups was measured through a battery of motor tests, namely the rotarod, parallel bars, beam walk, and static bars. Microbial analysis was then carried out on the intestine of the studied mice. The result showed motor impairments in both hyperammonemia groups. Qualitative and quantitative microbiological analysis revealed decreased bacterial load, diversity, and ratios of both aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria, following two and four weeks of ammonia supplementation. Moreover, the Shannon diversity index revealed a time‑dependent cutback of gut bacterial diversity in a treatment‑time‑dependent manner, with the presence of only Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcaceae, and Enterococcaceaeat at four weeks. The data showed that ammonia‑induced motor coordination deficits may develop through direct and indirect pathways acting on the gut‑brain axis.

Background: Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection is ever-present and contagious. It is acquired during childhood and adolescence, but can occur at any age. B19V infection occurs in endemic epidemic mode in temperate zones in winter and spring. B19V infections, although often asymptomatic in pregnant women, can be responsible for hydrop fetalis, fetal anemia, and death in utero. This study will evaluate the seroprevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antiparvovirus in pregnant women in Marrakesh city in Morocco, and to find out the possible risk factors associated with B19V infections. Methods: We randomly selected 100 pregnant women from the Zerktouni hospital in Marrakesh. Socio-demographic characteristics and background were collected using a questionnaire. Serologic tests were carried out by searching for immunoglobulin G antibodies via the ParvovirusVirclia® IgG Chemiluminescencemonotest kits (Vircell Microbiologist, Granada, Spain) at the Bacteriology-Virology laboratory of the Avicenna Military Hospital in Marrakesh. Results: The median age of study participants was 27 (interquartile range (IQR): 17-43) years. Of 100 pregnant women 8%, 38% and 54% were in the first, second and third trimester respectively. The majority 96% of women were from urban areas. Nineteen percent (19%) of them had a history of spontaneous abortion. Of 100 pregnant women, the overall prevalence of IgG was 51 (51%). The average age of participants with positive serology was 26.45 years, and the mean age of those with negative serology was 28.98 years. The immunity against the virus was higher in young pregnant women. Twenty five (25%) women tested positive for B19V antibodies in the third trimester of pregnancy, implying immunity for the virus. The results of logistic regression showed insignificant association between the prevalence of B19V IgG antibodies and the demographic and obstetrical factors except for the having a child under 6 years factor (χ 2 = 12.33, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Infection with B19V remains important in pregnant women in our region and virological diagnosis must be sought before any suggestive context.