Epidemiology and Treatment of Microbial Infections in Respiratory Diseases

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotic Therapy in Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 554

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
The Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: acute illness; ARDS; COPD; lung function
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Guest Editor
1. University Clinical Centre of Republic of Srpska, 78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka, 78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Interests: intensive care unit; sepsis (Diptera); septic shock

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pulmonary infections remain a major global health concern, with a considerable impacts on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare systems, especially in low-resource settings. Accurate and timely epidemiological data are essential for tracking trends, identifying at-risk populations, and informing both clinical and public health responses. The recent emergence and spread of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 have highlighted the dynamic nature of pulmonary infections and the need for ongoing surveillance and adaptive strategies.

At the same time, treatment approaches continue to evolve in response to changes in pathogen profiles, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and advances in clinical care. Despite these developments, challenges remain in achieving optimal outcomes, particularly in the context of increasing multidrug resistance and the complexity of co-infections, especially in critically ill patients requiring treatment in the ICU.

This Special Issue welcomes original research and review articles that explore the epidemiology, risk factors, therapeutic strategies, and clinical outcomes of pulmonary infections. Contributions that shed light on infection trends, treatment efficacy, resistance mechanisms, and emerging interventions are especially encouraged.

We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Marija Vukoja
Prof. Dr. Peđa Kovačević
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • pulmonary infections
  • respiratory diseases
  • epidemiology
  • treatment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 790 KiB  
Article
A Retrospective Study of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Utilization and Quality of Antibiotic Use in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Low-Resource Settings
by Vedrana Barišić, Tijana Kovačević, Maja Travar, Ana Golić Jelić, Pedja Kovačević, Dragana Milaković and Ranko Škrbić
Antibiotics 2025, 14(6), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14060535 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 429
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Improper use of systemic antibiotics remains a significant concern in hospital settings, contributing to increased antimicrobial resistance and suboptimal clinical outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue. This study aimed to evaluate long-term trends in antibiotic utilization in low-resource settings at a [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Improper use of systemic antibiotics remains a significant concern in hospital settings, contributing to increased antimicrobial resistance and suboptimal clinical outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue. This study aimed to evaluate long-term trends in antibiotic utilization in low-resource settings at a tertiary care teaching hospital, focusing specifically on the changes before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed antibiotic utilization data from the University Clinical Centre of the Republic of Srpska over ten years (2015–2024). Antibiotic consumption was expressed in defined daily doses (DDD) per 100 bed-days, and compared across three periods: pre-COVID-19 (2015–2019), COVID-19 (2020–2022), and post-COVID-19 (2023–2024). Additionally, antibiotic use was categorized according to the WHO AWaRe classification. Results: Antibiotic utilization peaked during the COVID-19 period, with the highest rate observed in 2021 (91.5 DDD/100 bed-days), despite a decrease in hospital admissions. The most frequently used antibiotics were cephalosporins, penicillins, and metronidazole. A significant increase in the use of azithromycin, meropenem, piperacillin/tazobactam, vancomycin, and colistin was noted during the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 periods (p < 0.05), along with a notable decline in penicillin use. Watch and Reserve antibiotic use rose significantly (p < 0.05), while Access group use fell from 67% to 49.2%. Conclusions: These findings underscore the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic prescribing patterns and emphasize the urgent need for strengthened antimicrobial stewardship efforts to ensure rational antibiotic use and combat antimicrobial resistance. Full article
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