Tigecycline susceptibility of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii from intensive care units in the western Balkans.

Tigecycline can be effective to treat infections of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) however, no interpretive criteria have been approved so far. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the proportion of CRAB isolates and to compare gradient test with a broth microdilution (BMD) method for tigecycline susceptibility testing of A. baumannii.

Characterization of macrolide-resistant non-invasive pneumococci in the pre-vaccine era in Serbia.

Numerous reports have confirmed that increased macrolide use in the treatment of respiratory tract infection has contributed to the emergence of antibiotic resistance worldwide. Studies have also shown that pneumococcal vaccine can reduce pneumococcal resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of co-resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics in macrolide-resistant (MR) non-invasive pneumococcal isolates and to evaluate serotype distribution in resistant strains in the pre-vaccine era in Serbia.

Candida bloodstream infections in Serbia: First multicentre report of a national prospective observational survey in intensive care units.

Candida bloodstream infections (BSI) are a significant cause of mortality in intensive care units (ICU), hereof the prospective 12-months (2014-2015) hospital- and laboratory-based survey was performed at the Serbian National Reference Medical Mycology Laboratory (NRMML). Candida identification was done by a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry and a susceptibility test, according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute methodology. Among nine centres (265 beds; 10 820 patient admissions), four neonatal/paediatric (NICU/PICUs) and five adult centres (ICUs) participated, representing 89 beds and 3446 patient admissions, 166 beds and 7347 patient admissions respectively.

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype distribution in Vojvodina before the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines into the National Immunization Program.

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common causative agent of bacterial pneumonia and meningitis. Mandatory childhood immunization against pneumococcal diseases is introduced in the new Law on Protection of Population against Communicable Diseases in Serbia.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of pneumococcal serotype distribution in Vojvodina region before routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Serbia.

The most common isolates from pleural infections.

Isolation and identification of the pathogens are important for appropriate treatment of pleural infections. Distribution of the most frequent causative agents varies throughout the world and may change in time.The objective of the study is to analyze the bacteriological isolates of pleural fluids in order to identify the most frequent infectious agents and assess their variability in time.

A postmortem analysis of major causes of early death in patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbation.

Background: Mortality from COPD is increasing worldwide, but detailed causes of death are rarely assessed, particularly in low-income countries.

Methods: In a retrospective study, we reviewed the autopsy reports and medical records of deceased patients admitted to the hospital for severe exacerbation of COPD, from January 2005 to December 2007, at the Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Serbia.

Results: Forty-three patients with a hospital admission diagnosis of COPD exacerbation underwent autopsy; all had died within 24 h of admission to the hospital.