Outbreaks of brucellosis related to the consumption of unpasteurized camel milk

Brucellosis is the most frequent zoonosis reported in Qatar, mainly related to exposure to infected camels. An outbreak of human brucellosis in 14 members of a family living in a rural area in Qatar is reported herein. Clinical, epidemiological and laboratory results from all 14 patients with Brucella and 12 non-confirmed family members were collected from files. All patients reported fever for a maximum of 14 days, associated with arthralgia [6 patients], weakness [4 patients], headache [4 patients], diarrhea [2 patients] and abdominal pain [2 patients]. The median age of the patients was 10 years and that of non-cases was 16 years, with a predominance of males [92.9%]. Elevated levels of transaminases were observed in patients. A mixed infection caused by Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis was identified by blood culture and serology. The source of the infection was the milk of an infected camel. The outbreak of brucellosis melitensis/abortus related to the consumption of camel milk constitutes a gap in the prevention and control of the potential sources of brucellosis in animal farms. Proper control and education of the population are required

Antibiotic consumption during a 4-year period in a community hospital with an antimicrobial stewardship program

Objectives: we sought to evaluate the trend of antibiotic consumption in patients admitted to a community hospital in Qatar with an antimicrobial stewardship program

Methods: this observational study was carried out in a 75-bed facility in Western Qatar over a 4-year period [2012-2015]. The monitoring of antimicrobial consumption from inpatient wards was performed from the pharmacy records and presented as defined daily dose [DDD] divided by the patient days and expressed as 100 bed-days [DBD]

Results: the consumption of antimicrobials in 2012 was 171.3 DBD, and increased to 252.7 DBD in 2013, 229.1 DBD in 2014, and 184.7 DBD in 2015. Cephalosporins use reduced from 98.2 DBD in 2013 to 51.5 DBD in 2015 while the consumption of penicillins increased during the beginning of 2014 with a slight decrease in 2015. Carbapenems consumption during 2014-2015 was lower than previous years, and vice-versa for aminoglycosides. Fluoroquinolones had a sustained increase with 37.1% increased consumption in 2015 compared to the two previous years. There was an increase in the use of intravenous [IV] [108.5%] and oral azithromycin [55.1%] and the use of oral [152.8%] and IV moxifloxacin [22.9%]

Conclusions: we observed a decrease in antibiotic use in patients admitted to a community hospital with an antimicrobial stewardship program, but the increase in fluoroquinolones consumption is a concern that requires focused strategies