Ons Bouchami holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia. Her research primarily focuses on antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens, particularly Staphylococcal species. She has made significant contributions to understanding the molecular epidemiology, genetic diversity, and evolution of antibiotic resistance determinants in healthcare-associated pathogens. During her postdoctoral studies (2012-2022) at the Microbiology of Human Pathogens Unit, ITQB-NOVA, she focused on molecular epidemiology and evolutionary pathways of antibiotic resistance in staphylococci, utilizing advanced bioinformatic and molecular tools. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and veterinarians, Ons Bouchami investigated animals and the meat-processing chain as potential reservoirs for multidrug-resistant bacteria in hospitals. She also partnered with chemists to discover new antibiotics for combating infections from these bacteria. Her discoveries empowered her to question the traditional clinical perspective on coagulase-negative staphylococci, challenging the notion that these infections are uniform across various species and strains. Since 2022, she has been with the Human Microbiota – Xenobiotics Interactions Lab at ITQB NOVA, investigating the impact of xenobiotics on the gut microbiome. Ons Bouchami has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and has actively engaged in various academic activities, including teaching, mentoring, and serving as an editorial board member for scientific journals organizing scientific events. Her work has greatly advanced our understanding of antibiotic resistance dynamics and infection control strategies.

Research Interest: Antimicrobial resistance; Bacterial Evolution; Human gut Microbiome; Metals; Xenobiotics Interactions; Pathogenicity; Bioinformatics; Metagenomics

Publications List:

1. Bouchami, O., Machado, M., Carriço, J. A., Melo-Cristino, J., de Lencastre, H., &  Miragaia, M. (2023). Spontaneous Genomic Variation as a Survival Strategy of  Nosocomial Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Microbiology Spectrum. Advance online  publication. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02552-22.
2. Raddaoui, A., Chebbi, Y., Bouchami, O., Frigui, S., Messadi, A. A., Achour, W., & Thabet, L. (2022). Dissemination of epidemic ST239/ST241-t037-agrI-SCCmecIII methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Tunisian trauma burn intensive care unit. Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1556/030.2022.01884.
3. Dhaouadi, S., Bouchami, O., Soufi, L., Dhaouadi, F., Chaari, S., Bouglita, W., Cherif, A., et al. (2022). Frequent dissemination and carriage of an SCCmec-mecC hybrid in methicillin-resistant Mammaliicoccus sciuri in farm animals from Tunisia. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, 22, 00222-00223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2022.09.007
4. Lawal, O. U., Fraqueza, M. J., Worning, P., Bouchami, O., Bartels, M. D., Goncalves, L., ... de Lencastre, H. (2021). Staphylococcus saprophyticus causing infections in humans is associated with high resistance to heavy metals. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 65(7), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/aac.02685-20
5. Lawal, O. U., Fraqueza, M. J., Bouchami, O., Worning, P., Bartels, M. D., Gonçalves, M. L., ... Miragaia, M. (2021). Foodborne origin and local and global spread of Staphylococcus saprophyticus causing human urinary tract infections. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2703.200852
6. Bouchami, O., Fraqueza, M. J., Faria, N. A., Alves, V., Lawal, O. U., de Lencastre, H., & Miragaia, M. (2020). Evidence for the dissemination to humans of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 through the pork production chain: A study in a Portuguese slaughterhouse. Microorganisms, 8(12), 1892-1908.  https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8121892
7. Alves, M. M., Bouchami, O., Tavares, A., Córdoba, L., Santos, C. F., Miragaia, M., & De Fátima Montemor, M. (2017). New insights into antibiofilm effect of a nanosized ZnO coating against the pathogenic methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 9(34), 28157-28167. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b02320
8. Rolo, J., Worning, P., Nielsen, J. B., Sobral, R., Bowden, R., Bouchami, O., ... Westh, H. (2017). Evidence for the evolutionary steps leading to mecA-mediated β-lactam resistance in staphylococci. PLoS Genetics, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1006674
9. Rolo, J., Worning, P., Nielsen, J. B., Bowden, R., Bouchami, O., Damborg, P., ... Westh, H. (2017). Evolutionary origin of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec(SCCmec). Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 61(6). https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.02302-16
10. Bouchami, O., de Lencastre, H., & Miragaia, M. (2016). Impact of insertion sequences and recombination on the population structure of Staphylococcus haemolyticus. PLoS ONE, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156653
11. Zhang, L., Thomas, J. C., Miragaia, M., Bouchami, O., Chaves, F., d'Azevedo, P. A., ... Tomasz, A. (2013). Multilocus sequence typing and further genetic characterization of the enigmatic pathogen, Staphylococcus hominis. PLoS ONE, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066496
12. Gouveia, C., Gavino, A., Bouchami, O., Miragaia, M., Varandas, L., de Lencastre, H., & Brito, M. J. (2013). Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lacking PVL, as a cause of severe invasive infection treated with linezolid. Case Reports in Pediatrics, 2013, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/727824
13. Rolo, J., Miragaia, M., Turlej-Rogacka, A., Empel, J., Bouchami, O., Faria, N. A., ... Westh, H. (2012). High genetic diversity among community-associated Staphylococcus aureus in Europe: Results from a multicenter study. PLoS ONE, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034768
14. Rolo, J., Miragaia, M., Turlej-Rogacka, A., Empel, J., Bouchami, O., Faria, N. A., Tavares, A., et al. (2012). High genetic diversity among community-associated Staphylococcus aureus in Europe. PLoS ONE. http://hdl.handle.net/10362/117124
15. Mekni, M. A., Bouchami, O., Achour, W., & Ben Hassen, A. (2012). Strong biofilm production but not adhesion virulence factors can discriminate between invasive and commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. APMIS, 120(8), 605-611. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0463.2012.02877.x
16. Soufi, L., Sáenz, Y., De Toro, M., Abbassi, M. S., Rojo-Bezares, B., Vinué, L., ... Ben Hassen, A. (2012). Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Salmonella entericarecovered from poultry meat in Tunisia and identification of new genetic traits. VectorBorne and Zoonotic Diseases, 12(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2011.0678
17. Bouchami, O., Ben Hassen, A., de Lencastre, H., & Miragaia, M. (2011). High prevalence of mec complex C and ccrC is independent of SCCmec type V in Staphylococcus haemolyticus. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 31(4), 605-614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-011-1354-3
18. Bouchami, O., Achour, W., & Ben Hassen, A. (2011). Prevalence of resistance phenotypes and genotypes to macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin antibiotics in Gram-positive cocci isolated in Tunisian bone marrow transplant center. Pathologie Biologie, 59(4), 199-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patbio.2009.03.010
19. Bouchami, O., Hassen, A. B., de Lencastre, H., & Miragaia, M. (2011). Molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus hominis (MRSHo): Low clonality and reservoirs of SCCmec structural elements. PLoS ONE, 6(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021940
20. Bouchami, O., Achou, W., & Ben Hassen, A. (2011). Species distribution and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of coagulase-negative staphylococci other than Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from various clinical specimens. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 5(11), 1298-1305. https://doi.org/10.
21. Khadraoui, N., Kallel, K., Bouchami, O., Bouchakoua, M., Kaouech, A., Belhadj, S., ... Chaker, E. (2011). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis types of Candida albicans isolates from an intensive care unit in a Tunisian hospital. Annales de Biologie Clinique, 69(3), 289-294. https://doi.org/10.1684/abc.2011.0532
22. Sghaier, H., Bouchami, O., Desler, C., Lazim, H., Saidi, M., Rasmussen, L. J., & Ben Hassen, A. (2011). Analysis of the antimicrobial susceptibility of the ionizing radiationresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans: Implications for bioremediation of radioactive waste. Annals of Microbiology, 62(2), 493-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-011-0281-y
23. Bouchami, O., Achour, W., Mekni, M. A., Rolo, J., & Hassen, A. B. (2011). Antibiotic resistance and molecular characterization of clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from bacteremic patients in oncohematology.
24. Folia Microbiologica, 56(2), 122-130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-011-0017-1
25. Bouchakoua, M., Kallel, K., Khadraoui, N., Bouchami, O., Kaouech, A., Belhadj, S., ... Chaker, E. (2011). Les infections candidosiques en milieu de réanimation: Intérêt de l'index de Pittet dans la surveillance des malades et apport de l'analyse en champ pulsé d'isolats de Candida. Revue Tunisienne d'Infectiologie, 2011.
26. Khadraoui, N., Kallel, K., Bouchami, O., Bouchakoua, M., Kaouech, A., Anane, S., ... Chaker, E. (2010). PFGE types of Candida tropicalis isolates from an intensive care unit in a Tunisian hospital. Journal de Mycologie Médicale, 20(3), 169-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mycmed.2010.05.003
27. Bouchami, O., Achour, W., & Ben Hassen, A. (2009). Typing of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec encoding methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated at the bone marrow transplant centre of Tunisia. Current Microbiology, 59(4), 380-385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-009-9448-1
28. Abbassi, M. S., Bouchami, O., Touati, A., Achour, W., & Ben Hassen, A. (2008). Clonality and occurrence of genes encoding antibiotic resistance and biofilm in methicillinresistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from catheters and bacteremia in neutropenic patients. Current Microbiology, 57(5), 442-448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-008-9227-4
29. Belhaj, M., Boutiba-Ben Boubaker, I., Ben Redjeb, S., & Bouchami, O. (2008). Molecular characterisation of high-level ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates from hospitalised patients in Tunis. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 32(3), 284-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2008.04.017
30. Abbassi, M. S., Torres, C., Achour, W., Vinué, L., Sáenz, Y., Costa, D., ... Ben Hassen, A. (2008). Genetic characterisation of CTX-M-15-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli strains isolated from stem cell transplant patients in Tunisia. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 32(4), 308-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2008.04.009
31. Achour, W., Bouchami, O., Galopin, S., Leclercq, R., & Ben Hassen, A. (2008). Analysis of pristinamycin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates in the Tunisian Bone Marrow Transplant Center. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 46(3), 358-363. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2007.02318.x
32. Majouri, D., Touati, A., Achour, W., Bouchami, O., & Ben Hassen, A. (2007). Comparison of phenotypic methods with PCR to screening methicillin resistance in coagulasenegative staphylococci. Pathologie Biologie, 55(8-9), 361-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patbio.2007.06.010
33. Chaieb, K., Zmantar, T., Chehab, O., Bouchami, O., Ben Hassen, A., Mahdouani, K., & Bakhrouf, A. (2007). Antibiotic resistance genes detected by Multiplex PCR assays in Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from dialysis fluid needles in a dialysis service. Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, 13(4), 183-187. https://doi.org/10.7883/yoken.JJID.2007.183
34. Bouchami, O., Achour, W., & Ben Hassen, A. (2007). Prevalence and mechanisms of macrolide resistance among Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates from neutropenic patients in Tunisia. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 13(1), 103-106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2006.01567.
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