Tracing carriage, acquisition, and transmission of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli over two years in a tertiary care hospital.

Background: The impact of community carriage on the influx of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) into hospitals remains understudied. In this prospective 2-year single-centre study, we investigate the community ESBL-E influx and trace the colonisation, nosocomial acquisition, transmission, and infection dynamics of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-Ec) in non-ICU wards at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: This study reports primary and post hoc outcomes of the clinical trial NCT01208519 in which hospitalised patients were screened for rectal carriage of ESBL-E.

A microbiological and genomic perspective of globally collected Escherichia coli from adults hospitalized with invasive E. coli disease.

Objectives: Escherichia coli can cause infections in the urinary tract and in normally sterile body sites leading to invasive E. coli disease (IED), including bacteraemia and sepsis, with older populations at increased risk. We aimed to estimate the theoretical coverage rate by the ExPEC4V and 9V vaccine candidates.

Immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of a second booster with BNT162b2 or full-dose mRNA-1273: A randomized VACCELERATE trial in adults aged ≥75 years (EU-COVAT-1-AGED Part B).

Objectives: To assess the safety and immunogenicity of a fourth vaccination (second booster) in individuals aged ≥75 years.

Methods: Participants were randomized to BNT162b2 (Comirnaty, 30 µg) or messenger RNA (mRNA)-1273 (Spikevax, 100 µg). The primary end point was the rate of two-fold antibody titer increase 14 days after vaccination, targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) region of wild-type SARS-CoV-2.

Long-term effects of ciprofloxacin treatment on the gastrointestinal and oropharyngeal microbiome are more pronounced after longer antibiotic courses.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the main reasons for antibiotic prescriptions in primary care. Recent studies demonstrate similar clinical outcomes with short vs. long antibiotics courses.

Assessment of three antibiotic combination regimens against Gram-negative bacteria causing neonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries.

Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are a major cause of neonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 80% of these sepsis deaths could be prevented through improved treatment, the efficacy of the currently recommended first- and second-line treatment regimens for this condition is increasingly affected by high rates of drug resistance. Here we assess three well known antibiotics, fosfomycin, flomoxef and amikacin, in combination as potential antibiotic treatment regimens by investigating the drug resistance and genetic profiles of commonly isolated GNB causing neonatal sepsis in LMICs.

Assessment of Colistin Heteroresistance among Multidrug-Resistant Isolated from Intensive Care Patients in Europe.

Heteroresistance (HR) to colistin is especially concerning in settings where multi-drug-resistant (MDR) are prevalent and empiric use of colistin might lead to treatment failures. This study aimed to assess the frequency of occurrence of colistin HR (CHR) among (MDR) ( = 676) isolated from patients hospitalized in 13 intensive care units (ICUs) in six European countries in a clinical trial assessing the impact of decolonization strategies. All isolates were whole-genome-sequenced and studied for in vitro colistin susceptibility.

One Health surveillance of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales in Belgium and the Netherlands between 2017 and 2019.

Background: Colistin serves as the last line of defense against multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections in both human and veterinary medicine. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and spread of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales (ColR-E) using a One Health approach in Belgium and in the Netherlands.

Methods: In a transnational research project, a total of 998 hospitalized patients, 1430 long-term care facility (LTCF) residents, 947 children attending day care centres, 1597 pigs and 1691 broilers were sampled for the presence of ColR-E in 2017 and 2018, followed by a second round twelve months later for hospitalized patients and animals.

Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a first booster with BNT162b2 or full-dose mRNA-1273: A randomised VACCELERATE trial in adults ≥75 years (EU-COVAT-1).

Background: Vaccination remains crucial for protection against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially for people of advanced age, however, optimal dosing regimens are as yet lacking.

Methods: EU-COVAT-1-AGED Part A is a randomised controlled, adaptive, multicentre phase II trial evaluating safety and immunogenicity of a 3rd vaccination (1st booster) in individuals ≥75 years. Fifty-three participants were randomised to full-doses of either mRNA-1273 (Spikevax®, 100 µg) or BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®, 30 µg).

Postoperative Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Patients With and Without Preoperative Colonization.

Importance: Staphylococcus aureus surgical site infections (SSIs) and bloodstream infections (BSIs) are important complications of surgical procedures for which prevention remains suboptimal. Contemporary data on the incidence of and etiologic factors for these infections are needed to support the development of improved preventive strategies.

Objectives: To assess the occurrence of postoperative S aureus SSIs and BSIs and quantify its association with patient-related and contextual factors.

Increase in bloodstream infections caused by 1 group A correlates with emergence of toxigenic M1, Belgium, May 2022 to August 2023.

Many European countries have recently reported upsurges in invasive group A (iGAS) infections, mainly caused by 1 , specifically the toxigenic M1 lineage. We present the epidemiology of 1 causing iGAS in Belgium during 2018-August 2023, and describe an emergence of the toxigenic M1 lineage in Belgium in mid-2022 that was observed as an increase in bloodstream infections caused by 1 that continued into 2023.

Insight into Antibiotic Synergy Combinations for Eliminating Colistin Heteroresistant .

Colistin heteroresistance has been identified in several bacterial species, including and , and may underlie antibiotic therapy failures since it most often goes undetected by conventional antimicrobial susceptibility tests. This study utilizes population analysis profiling (PAP) and time-kill assay for the detection of heteroresistance in and for evaluating the association between in vitro regrowth and heteroresistance. The mechanisms of colistin resistance and the ability of combination therapies to suppress resistance selection were also analysed.

[Treatment for an adjustment disorder after cancer: results of a Dutch study].

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of treatment for an adjustment disorder in accordance with the Dutch guideline for an adjustment disorder in cancer survivor (i.e. people living with or after cancer) on distress, psychological symptoms and quality of life.

The impact of variant and vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 symptomatology; three prospective household cohorts.

Objectives: We compared age-stratified SARS-CoV-2 symptomatology of wild-type/Alpha vs Omicron BA.1/BA.2 variant infected individuals and the impact of COVID-19 booster vaccination on Omicron symptom burden.

European survey on the current surveillance practices, management guidelines, treatment pathways and heterogeneity of testing of Clostridioides difficile, 2018-2019: results from The Combatting Bacterial Resistance in Europe CDI (COMBACTE-CDI).

Background: Awareness and compliance with international guidelines for diagnosis and clinical management of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) are unknown.

Aim: To compare the awareness and compliance with the recommended strategies for diagnosis and clinical management of CDI across Europe in 2018-2019.

Methods: Hospital sites and their associated community practices across 12 European countries completed an online survey in 2018-2019, to report on their practices in terms of surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of CDI.

Serotype 19A and 6C Account for One-Third of Pneumococcal Carriage Among Belgian Day-Care Children Four Years After a Shift to a Lower-Valent PCV.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) effectively reduce infection and asymptomatic carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine serotypes. In 2016, Belgium replaced its infant PCV13 program by a 4-year period of PCV10. Concomitantly, S.

Performance of the Cepheid Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/S. aureus Skin and Soft Tissue Infection PCR Assay on Respiratory Samples from Mechanically Ventilated Patients for S. aureus Screening during the Phase 2 Double-Blind SAATELLITE Study.

We investigated the performance of the Xpert methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)/S. aureus skin and soft tissue (SSTI) quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay in SAATELLITE, a multicenter, double-blind, phase 2 study of suvratoxumab, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) targeting S. aureus alpha-toxin, for reducing the incidence of S.

Quality of MALDI-TOF mass spectra in routine diagnostics: results from an international external quality assessment including 36 laboratories from 12 countries using 47 challenging bacterial strains.

Objectives: Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) is a widely used method for bacterial species identification. Incomplete databases and mass spectral quality (MSQ) still represent major challenges. Important proxies for MSQ are the number of detected marker masses, reproducibility, and measurement precision.

Identification of Potential Urinary Metabolite Biomarkers of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.

Introduction: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospital intensive care units (ICU). Rapid identification of -derived markers in easily accessible patients' samples can enable an early detection of VAP (VAP-PA), thereby stewarding antibiotic use and improving clinical outcomes.

Methods: Metabolites were analysed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in prospectively collected urine samples from mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the Antwerp University Hospital ICU.

Susceptibility profiles and resistance genomics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from European ICUs participating in the ASPIRE-ICU trial.

Objectives: To determine the susceptibility profiles and the resistome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from European ICUs during a prospective cohort study (ASPIRE-ICU).

Methods: 723 isolates from respiratory samples or perianal swabs of 402 patients from 29 sites in 11 countries were studied. MICs of 12 antibiotics were determined by broth microdilution.