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Antibiotics
Special Issues
Prevention and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Hospital-Associated Infections
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Prevention and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Hospital-Associated Infections

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics Use and Antimicrobial Stewardship".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 6402

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Theodouli Stergiopoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
2nd Pediatric Department, AHEPA Thessaloniki University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kiriakidi 1, 546 36 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: pediatrics; antimicrobials; antimicrobial resistance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nosocomial infections are a worldwide emerging problem causing life-threatening conditions and financial impact on healthcare systems. Neonatal, pediatric and adult patients infected by antibiotic-resistant nosocomial pathogens are difficult to treat and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates. Intensive care units are the most vulnerable departments in medical settings and health-associated infections in these units are difficult to treat. Hand and environmental hygiene, antimicrobial stewardship, care coordination, surveillance of infection patterns, screening and cohorting patients and coordination between different health care professionals are essential strategies for nosocomial infection control and prevention. Laboratory, pharmacological, clinical and epidemiological studies are required and are more than welcome in order to improve the management of the complex and multifactorial problem of health-care associated infections.

Dr. Theodouli Stergiopoulou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • infection monitoring
  • surveillance program
  • antimicrobial surveillance
  • healthcare-associated infections

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 844 KB  
Article
Silent Outbreaks of Candida duobushaemulonii in a Pediatric Ward in Brazil
by Daniel Wagner de Castro Lima Santos, Bram Spruijtenburg, Eelco F. J. Meijer, Dayse Azevedo Coelho de Souza, Conceição de Maria Pedrozo e Silva de Azevedo and Jacques F. Meis
Antibiotics 2026, 15(3), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030237 - 25 Feb 2026
Viewed by 800
Abstract
Background: While Candida auris is well known to cause hospital outbreaks, other species in the C. haemulonii complex are less well documented but gained attention as opportunistic pathogens. Only one documented outbreak has been published. We describe the second, silent, fungemia outbreak [...] Read more.
Background: While Candida auris is well known to cause hospital outbreaks, other species in the C. haemulonii complex are less well documented but gained attention as opportunistic pathogens. Only one documented outbreak has been published. We describe the second, silent, fungemia outbreak due to antifungal-susceptible C. duobushaemulonii. Methods: We retrospectively genotyped six C. duobushaemulonii bloodstream isolates, collected in a 4-month-period in 2022 (n = 4) and during a week in 2024 (n = 2) in pediatric patients in Brazil. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was done and compared to n = 33 publicly available genomes, including four cases from an outbreak in Panama. Antifungal susceptibility was performed with the reference CLSI method. Results: MALDI-TOF-MS identified isolates as either C. pseudohaemulonii or C. duobushaemulonii albeit with low scores. ITS sequence analyses confirmed all isolates as C. duobushaemulonii. WGS proved the presence of an outbreak among four pediatric patients in 2022 and a genetically distinct cluster of two cases in 2024. All six isolates were susceptible to azoles and echinocandins and were interpreted as being resistant to amphotericin B with a MIC at breakpoint of 2 µg/mL. Conclusions: This study describes the second documented outbreak due to the rare yeast C. duobushaemulonii, belonging to the C. haemulonii species complex, during 2022–2024 in patients admitted to a pediatric oncology ward in a Brazilian hospital. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Hospital-Associated Infections)
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11 pages, 994 KB  
Article
The Association Between Antibiotic Use and the Incidence of Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistance in Escherichia coli Bloodstream Infections: An Ecological Study
by Adi Cohen, Elizabeth Temkin, Mitchell J. Schwaber, Yehuda Carmeli and BSI Working Group
Antibiotics 2026, 15(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15020187 - 9 Feb 2026
Viewed by 803
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 period was marked by changes in antibiotic use and in the incidence of bacterial infections. We examined the association between antibiotic use and the proportion of Escherichia coli bloodstream infections (BSI) that were third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GC-R), using the COVID-19 [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 period was marked by changes in antibiotic use and in the incidence of bacterial infections. We examined the association between antibiotic use and the proportion of Escherichia coli bloodstream infections (BSI) that were third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GC-R), using the COVID-19 period as a natural experiment. Methods: Data for this ecological study came from Israeli national surveillance systems for BSI and antibiotic consumption in 2015–2023. We performed interrupted time series analyses with a 1-year lag to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the proportion of E. coli BSI that were 3GC-R. We used linear regression to test the association between antibiotic use and 3GC resistance. Results: The majority of national antibiotic use was in outpatient settings; it was stable between 2015–2019, dropped by 19.4% in 2020, then increased gradually, but in 2023 remained 10.8% lower than before the pandemic. Incidence of E. coli BSI per 100,000 population increased from 62.6 in 2015 to a peak of 66.0 in 2019, with a small, non-significant change in the proportion of E. coli BSI that were 3GC-R (0.339 in 2015 vs. 0.335 in 2020). In 2020, the incidence of both 3GC-susceptible and 3GC-R E. coli BSI decreased. In 2021, only 3GC-R BSI declined, resulting in the proportion resistant dropping significantly by 0.05 (95% CI: 0.03–0.07). Post-pandemic, BSI incidence rose but remained below the 2019 rate. The proportion resistant after 2021 rose by 0.02 per year relative to the pre-COVID slope (95% CI: 0.02–0.03), such that it was higher in 2023 (0.341) than in 2019 and 2015. There was a significant positive linear relationship between antibiotic use and resistance: the proportion of E. coli BSI that were 3GC-R increased by 0.02 for each increase of one defined daily dose of antibiotic per person (95% CI: 0.001–0.03). Conclusions: Reduced outpatient antibiotic use during COVID-19 was followed by a reduction in the proportion of E. coli BSI that were 3GC-R. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Hospital-Associated Infections)
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10 pages, 230 KB  
Article
Adherence to Perioperative Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Children in the Settings of Neurosurgery, Otorhinolaryngology, and Orthopedics
by Dimitra Dimopoulou, Athina Tsakali, Maria M. Berikopoulou, Anastasia Dimopoulou, Vasiliki Kamposou, Dimitrios Panagopoulos, Christos-Sotiris Papadakis, Vasileios Tokis, Konstantina Pouli, Georgios Bozonelos, John Anastasopoulos, Konstantinos Antonis, Nektarios Papapetropoulos and Athanasios Michos
Antibiotics 2025, 14(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020125 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1976
Abstract
Introduction: Data about compliance with perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis (PAP) guidelines in the pediatric population are limited. This study aims to evaluate PAP adherence in pediatric surgical subspecialty departments. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted from September 2023 to October 2024 [...] Read more.
Introduction: Data about compliance with perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis (PAP) guidelines in the pediatric population are limited. This study aims to evaluate PAP adherence in pediatric surgical subspecialty departments. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted from September 2023 to October 2024 at “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece. Children <16 years old undergoing surgical procedures in the neurosurgery (NS), orthopedics (OP), and otolaryngology (ORL) departments were included. Data on demographics, surgical characteristics, and PAP practices (timing, agent, duration, and redosing) were collected and compliance with the international guidelines was evaluated. Results: A total of 301 children were included, with a median age (IQR) of 7 (8) years. PAP was received by 249/301 (82.7%) children (100% in the OP and NS, and 48% in the ORL). However, indications for PAP had 50.8% of children: 102/103 (99%) in the NS, 47/98 (47.9%) in the OP, and 4/48 (8.3%) in the ORL. Most children received broad-spectrum or combination of antimicrobials and/or antibiotics for longer duration. Appropriate PAP according to the guidelines was administered in 0% children in NS, 2% in OP, and 2.1% in ORL. Multivariable analysis in the ORL regarding the use of PAP revealed that shorter procedures (≤60 min; OR: 22.9, p = 0.003) and clean wounds (OR: 33.4, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with not using PAP. Conclusions: This study highlights gaps in the PAP guideline adherence in pediatric surgical departments, and the need for educational interventions to improve compliance and reduce antimicrobial use. Based on these findings, we plan to implement an educational intervention in order to optimize PAP practices in the pediatric population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Hospital-Associated Infections)
8 pages, 1395 KB  
Communication
Genomic Analysis of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated from Bloodstream Infections in South Korea
by Wook Jong Jeon, Yoo Jung Kim, Ju Hui Seo, Jung Sik Yoo and Dong Chan Moon
Antibiotics 2024, 13(12), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13121124 - 23 Nov 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2130
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Bloodstream infection by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a serious clinical problem worldwide. To study its clonal relationship and genetic features, we report the draft genome sequence of CRAB strains isolated from human blood in South Korea. Methods: Among A. baumannii strains [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Bloodstream infection by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is a serious clinical problem worldwide. To study its clonal relationship and genetic features, we report the draft genome sequence of CRAB strains isolated from human blood in South Korea. Methods: Among A. baumannii strains isolated from patients at nine general hospitals in 2020, 12 CRAB strains of different genotypes were selected. Genomic DNA was sequenced using a combination of Illumina MiSeq and Oxford Nanopore MinION platforms. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. Antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes were investigated in silico using the Center for Genomic Epidemiology server and the Virulence Factors Database. Results: The multilocus sequence types of isolates included ST191, ST195, ST357, ST369, ST451, ST469, ST491, ST784, ST862, ST1933, ST2929, and a novel type, ST3326. The predominant sequence type, ST191, demonstrated close genetic relationships with several isolates, including ST469, ST369, ST195, ST784, ST491, and ST3326, with ST3326 classified as a subgroup of ST191. We found 18 antimicrobial resistance genes and one quaternary ammonium compound resistance gene. All examined strains harbored blaOXA-23, which is associated with carbapenem resistance. While variations in antibiotic and disinfectant resistance genes were observed, all isolates exhibited similar virulence factors, with the exception of the biofilm and capsule production genes. Conclusions: This nationwide report of the draft genome sequence of patient-derived strains provides valuable insights into the genomic features associated with clonal relationships and antimicrobial resistance of CRAB in bloodstream infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Hospital-Associated Infections)
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