The aim of this research was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special reference to women of reproductive age in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ...retrospective cross-sectional study included 3685 participants tested at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, University Clinical Hospital, Mostar in the period from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019. The detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. gondii was based on the enzyme immunofluorescence test.
In this study the total IgG prevalence of T. gondii was 18.7%, while only 1.7% were IgM positive. The IgG prevalence increased according to age of participants from 1.8% in 1–5 age group to 46.8% in participants older than 65 (p < 0.001). Out of total IgG positive participants, 62.8% came from rural areas (p < 0.001). An increased age (OR = 2.233) and rural residence (OR = 1.468) were found as risk factors for toxoplasmosis, whereas gender was not (OR = 1.021). Out of total 1514 women of reproductive age tested, the IgG prevalence of T. gondii was 15.8%, and IgM antibodies was present in 1.6% examined women.
This study showed a seroprevalence of T. gondii in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not only among the general population, but also among women of reproductive age. Results of the study suggest the need for more systematic preventive monitoring of pregnant women and preconception counselling for women of reproductive age.
According to the World Health Organization, bacterium
Acinetobacter baumannii
is the first on the critical priority list of pathogens in urgent need for new antibiotics. The increasing resistance of
...A. baumannii
to the last-line treatment options, including carbapenems, is a global problem. We report the molecular epidemiology of 12 carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of
A. baumannii
collected from hospitalised patients in three neighbouring countries in Southeast Europe: Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, giving an insight into the molecular characterisation and evolutionary history of the acquisition of resistance genes. Besides the
bla
OXA-23 gene, the endemic presence of OXA-72 oxacillinase of the same origin for more than a decade as the leading mechanism of carbapenem resistance in Southeast Europe was confirmed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that investigates and analyses the phylogenetic association of the most common mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems in clinical isolates of
A. baumannii
originating from three neighbouring countries in Southeast Europe.
•Hospitals from Turkey, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were included.•Acinetobacter baumannii is highly resistant to colistin received by patients.•Colistin resistance is caused by point ...mutations in pmrCAB operon genes.•No plasmid-borne mcr genes were detected.•Findings point to within-hospital spread of colistin-resistant isolates.
To characterise 11 colistin- and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates recently emerging in hospital settings.
A. baumannii isolates were collected from hospitalised patients under colistin treatment in three countries of Southeast Europe: Turkey, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Isolates were identified using molecular methods.
Isolates from Turkey and Croatia belong to the sequence types ST195 or ST281 of the clone lineage 2, while the single isolate from Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to the ST231 of clone lineage 1. All isolates turned out to be highly resistant to colistin (MIC ≥ 16 mg/L) and have point mutations in pmrCAB operon genes. The colistin-resistant isolate from Bosnia and Herzegovina had a unique P170L point mutation in the pmrB gene and the R125H point mutation in the pmrC gene. The L20S mutation in the pmrA gene was detected only in isolates from Croatia and has never been reported before in isolates from this country.
Colistin resistance in A. baumannii in hospitalised patients receiving colistin treatment is a result of chromosomal mutations. The pattern of point mutations in pmrCAB genes suggests a spread of specific colistin-resistant isolates within the hospital.
Cilj: Cilj ovog rada je molekularna analiza radi utvrđivanja genotipova toksigenih sojeva C. difficile.
Ispitanici i metode: Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorcima stolice bolničkih pacijenata ...Sveučilišne kliničke bolnice Mostar. U stolicama je ELFA tehnikom (engl. Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay), dokazana produkcija A i B toksina. Izolirana C. difficile je umnožena PCR reakcijom (engl. polymerase chain reaction), a hibridizacijskom metodom detektirani su: C. difficile specifični gen (tpi), geni za produkciju A i B (tcdA, tcdB) te binarnog toksina (cdtA i cdtB), delecija u tcdC genu na pozicijama 18 bp, 39 bp i 117 bp te dvije različite mutacije u gyrA genu.
Rezultati: U svih ispitivanih sojeva C. difficile prisutni su geni za toksin A i B (tcdA/tcdB). Zastupljenosti mutacije gena za rezistenciju na moksifloksacin (gyrA) u ispitivanih sojeva C. difficile dokazana je u 96.66 % sojeva C. difficile. U istih je sojeva dokazana i produkcija binarnog toksina, čime je potvrđeno da ti sojevi pripadaju hipervirulentnom ribotipu 027.
Zaključci: U Sveučilišnoj bolnici Mostar, među toksigenim sojevima C. difficile, dominantan je moksifloksacin rezistentni, hipervirulentni ribotip 027.
The countries of the Balkan Peninsula have become the region with frequent outbreaks of the emerging and re-emerging diseases during the last decade of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st ...century. The majority of outbreaks were wildlife zoonotic, and vector-borne diseases, such as brucellosis, leptospirosis, listeriosis, tularemia, Q-fever, Lyme disease, anthrax, rabies, viral hemorrhagic fevers, sandfly fever, tick-borne encephalitis and leishmainiasis. Epidemiological factors determined by ecology of causative agents are often the most useful diagnostic clues. The recognition of evolving problems of emerging and re-emerging diseases emphasizes the need for the development of better laboratory diagnostic methods for the surveillance and tracking of the diseases, and for continued research of factors contributing to the transmission of the organisms. The continuous occurrence of previously unidentified infections requires prospective national strategies for timely recognition of the syndromes, causative agent identification, establishment of criteria and methods for the diagnosis, optimization of the treatment regime, and determination of successful approaches to prevention and control. Wildlife diseases surveillance in the most of the Balkan countries has been coordinated by the WHO since 1992. Although new technology and communication have extremely improved in the last decade, there is a need for optimal communication lines among the Balkan countries, better exploitation of communication technologies like the Internet and other media in the field of emerging diseases.
Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) is an important threat for critically ill patients. It can infect the respiratory tract, blood, soft tissues, urinary tract and central nervous ...system. Recently, carbapenem-resistance was observed in A. baumannii clinical isolates from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This prompted us to analyze these isolates with regards to genotypic diversity, antibiotic susceptibility and occurrence of acquired carbapenem resistance genes. Twelve carbapenem-resistant isolates were collected at a University hospital during two different periods of 2011 and 2015–2016: four isolates in 2011 and eight isolates 2015–2016 and compared to determine the dynamic changes in carbapenemase resistance mechanisms and population structure. All twelve isolates were positive for intrinsic blaOXA-51-like, nine for blaOXA-40-like and one for the blaOXA-23-like gene. ISAba1 was found upstream of blaOXA-51 in all and upstream of blaOXA-23-like gene in one isolate. Sequencing of the selected PCR products revealed the presence of OXA-72 β-lactamase (strain 1) and OXA-23 β-lactamase (strain 41). WGS of the selected isolate (AB 5) revealed the presence of blaOXA-72, chromosomal genes blaOXA-69 and blaADC. Moreover, the aac (3)-1a and aadA1 genes encoding aminoglycoside resistance, and sul1encoding sulphonamide resistance were identified. PFGE and rep-PCR revealed two clones containing highly similar isolates positive for OXA-40-like; one from 2011 and the other from 2015 to 2016.
Implementation of hospital hygiene measures, screening of the patients on admission for carriage of MDR-AB, and the early and accurate detection, with restriction of antibiotic use should be recommended to control the spread of these important hospital pathogenes. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. baumannii isolates producing carbapenem-hydrolyzing oxacillinases (CHDL) from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
•Recently, carbapenem-resistance was observed in A. baumannii from Bosnia and Herzegovina.•This prompted us to analyze these isolates with regards to genotypic diversity, and antibiotic susceptibility.•Twelve carbapenem-resistant isolates were collected in University Hospital Mostar during two different periods: in 2011 and 2015-2016 and compared.•All twelve isolates were positive for intrinsic blaOXA-51-like, nine for blaOXA-40-like genes and one for the blaOXA-23-like gene.•Sequencing of the selected PCR products revealed the presence of OXA-72 β-lactamase and OXA-23 β-lactamase•OXA-40-positive isolates were allocated into two distinct clones containing highly related isolates.
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are among the major causes of nosocomial infections and represent a growing problem in many European countries. Among the most common enterococcal isolates, ...Enterococcus faecium is considered to be the reservoir of VanA and VanB-mediated resistance to glycopeptides. Enterococci with VanA-mediated resistance can transfer resistance genes to other enterococci and gram-positive bacteria. Hence, monitoring and surveillance of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VREs) are crucial for the prevention of the spread of glycopeptide resistance. No reports have yet been published that document the resistance rates and typization of VREs in the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Croatia. In this study, 64 clinical enterococcal strains that were isolated in clinical centers, Mostar, Sarajevo, and Zagreb, were studied and findings regarding characteristics of vancomycin-resistant strains found in the West Balkan region are reported for the first time. All of the strains were identified using conventional phenotypic methods, and the resistance to glycopeptides was determined using the disk diffusion method, Vitek 2, and genotypic Enterococcus assay. The results of genotyping showed that 40 strains were identified as VREs (30% Enterococcus faecalis and 70% E. faecium), while the sensitivity of the phenotypic methods was 87.5%. Furthermore, VanA and VanB resistance types were found in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, with slightly higher prevalence of the latter (72.5%) over the former (27.5%).
PDF
