infection epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece.

The aim was to highlight the incidence and epidemiology of infections (CDI) in a tertiary Greek hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. A single-center prospective observational cohort study was conducted (October 2021 until April 2022). 125 isolates were cultured from hospitalized patients stool samples and screened by PCR for toxin A (), toxin B (), binary toxin ( and ) genes and the regulating gene of .

Implication of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of infection in a Greek tertiary hospital.

infection (CDI) represents an important global threat. In the COVID-19 era, the multifactorial nature of CDI has emerged. The aim was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of CDI in a Greek hospital.

Performance evaluation of AlfredAST rapid susceptibility testing directly from positive blood cultures in the routine laboratory workflow.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the new automated system AlfredAST which is based on light scattering technology for rapid susceptibility testing directly from positive blood cultures as well as its applicability in the routine laboratory workflow. We evaluated 176 significant episodes of bacteremia due to 92 Gram-negative and 84 Gram-positive bacteria. The antimicrobial agents tested were ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, and colistin for Gram negatives and cefoxitin, vancomycin, linezolid, and daptomycin for Gram positives.