Browsing by Author "Jovićević, Miloš (57223044336)"

In Serbia, PCV10 was introduced into the routine immunization for children under 2 in 2018 and replaced by PCV13 in 2022. We evaluated their impact on the distribution of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) serotypes across all age groups. Overall, 756 isolates were obtained from patients with IPD between 2010 and 2023 through laboratory surveillance. In the post-vaccination period, serotypes 14, 19F, 23F, and 6A significantly declined, while 3 and 19A considerably increased. This was especially evident in the ≤2 years group, making these serotypes the most prevalent among them. Serotype 3 dominated, representing 19.1% of all invasive isolates prior to 2018 and 33.1% thereafter. While serotype coverage of PCV10 has significantly decreased in the ≤2 years group (from 74.2% before 2018 to 29.5% after 2018), PCV13 coverage was 63.9% after 2018. In the post-PCV period, non-PCV13 serotypes, such as 9N, 10A, 15A, 15B, 15C, 22F, 6C, 6D, and 7C, increased across all isolates. Antibiotic non-susceptibility considerably decreased after 2018. MLST analysis showed shifts in sequence type prevalence, with pre-PCV lineages replaced and ongoing serotype 3 persistence, alongside potential capsule-switching events. These findings emphasize a noticeable shift in the distribution of serotypes and adaptability of pneumococcal populations, highlighting the importance of ongoing surveillance and the requirement for the urgent introduction of higher valent vaccines into the National Immunization Program. © 2024 by the authors.

In Serbia, PCV10 was introduced into the routine immunization for children under 2 in 2018 and replaced by PCV13 in 2022. We evaluated their impact on the distribution of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) serotypes across all age groups. Overall, 756 isolates were obtained from patients with IPD between 2010 and 2023 through laboratory surveillance. In the post-vaccination period, serotypes 14, 19F, 23F, and 6A significantly declined, while 3 and 19A considerably increased. This was especially evident in the ≤2 years group, making these serotypes the most prevalent among them. Serotype 3 dominated, representing 19.1% of all invasive isolates prior to 2018 and 33.1% thereafter. While serotype coverage of PCV10 has significantly decreased in the ≤2 years group (from 74.2% before 2018 to 29.5% after 2018), PCV13 coverage was 63.9% after 2018. In the post-PCV period, non-PCV13 serotypes, such as 9N, 10A, 15A, 15B, 15C, 22F, 6C, 6D, and 7C, increased across all isolates. Antibiotic non-susceptibility considerably decreased after 2018. MLST analysis showed shifts in sequence type prevalence, with pre-PCV lineages replaced and ongoing serotype 3 persistence, alongside potential capsule-switching events. These findings emphasize a noticeable shift in the distribution of serotypes and adaptability of pneumococcal populations, highlighting the importance of ongoing surveillance and the requirement for the urgent introduction of higher valent vaccines into the National Immunization Program. © 2024 by the authors.

Hands of healthcare workers play essential role in the spreading of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms in and out of the healthcare settings. Less is known about the role of laboratory workers (LWs). The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of biofilm-forming staphylococci on the surface of jewelry rings of LWs and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. A total of 79 LWs from eight different microbiology laboratories that process and analyze specimens from the tertiary care hospitals in Belgrade, Serbia participated in the study. The study was reviewed and approved by the institutional review boards at hospitals. Samples were taken after hand washing. Bacteria on LWs wedding rings were detected with the rolling method, and further analyzed in order to determine the number of colony forming unit (CFU) per ring, species of bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, methicillin resistance and biofilm-producing capacity in vitro. Staphylococci were recovered from 60.8% of wedding rings. All strains produced biofilm (25% weak, 56.2% moderate and 18.8% large amount), with significant difference between species (P < 0.001). Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis formed the largest amount of biofilm and had the largest number of CFU per ring. Staphylococci were most commonly resistant to penicillin (66.7%), tetracycline (50.0%), and erythromycin (45.8%); 41.7% of isolates was multidrug resistant and mecA gene was detected in five strains. All strains were susceptible to linezolid, vancomycin, teicoplanin and tigecycline. Staphylococci colonize LWs wedding rings, form biofilm on it, have multidrug resistant phenotype and/or carry mecA gene, representing a significant reservoir for the spreading of microorganisms and resistance. As far as we know, our study is the first that address this topic in laboratory workers. © 2023 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest.

Hands of healthcare workers play essential role in the spreading of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms in and out of the healthcare settings. Less is known about the role of laboratory workers (LWs). The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of biofilm-forming staphylococci on the surface of jewelry rings of LWs and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. A total of 79 LWs from eight different microbiology laboratories that process and analyze specimens from the tertiary care hospitals in Belgrade, Serbia participated in the study. The study was reviewed and approved by the institutional review boards at hospitals. Samples were taken after hand washing. Bacteria on LWs wedding rings were detected with the rolling method, and further analyzed in order to determine the number of colony forming unit (CFU) per ring, species of bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, methicillin resistance and biofilm-producing capacity in vitro. Staphylococci were recovered from 60.8% of wedding rings. All strains produced biofilm (25% weak, 56.2% moderate and 18.8% large amount), with significant difference between species (P < 0.001). Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis formed the largest amount of biofilm and had the largest number of CFU per ring. Staphylococci were most commonly resistant to penicillin (66.7%), tetracycline (50.0%), and erythromycin (45.8%); 41.7% of isolates was multidrug resistant and mecA gene was detected in five strains. All strains were susceptible to linezolid, vancomycin, teicoplanin and tigecycline. Staphylococci colonize LWs wedding rings, form biofilm on it, have multidrug resistant phenotype and/or carry mecA gene, representing a significant reservoir for the spreading of microorganisms and resistance. As far as we know, our study is the first that address this topic in laboratory workers. © 2023 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest.