Public knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use in Kosovo.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a major public health challenge worldwide, caused primarily by the misuse of antibiotics. Antibiotic use is closely related to the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of a population. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices about antibiotic use among the general public in Kosovo. METHODS: A cross-sectional face-to-face survey was carried out with a sample of 811 randomly selected Kosovo residents. The methodology used for this survey was based on the European Commission Eurobarometer survey on antimicrobial resistance. RESULTS: More than half of respondents (58.7%) have used antibiotics during the past year. A quarter of respondents consumed antibiotics without a medical prescription. The most common reasons for usage were flu (23.8%), followed by sore throat (20.2%), cold (13%) and common cold (7.6%). 42.5% of respondents think that antibiotics are effective against viral infections. Almost half of respondents (46.7%) received information about the unnecessary use of antibiotics and 32.5% of them report having changed their views and behaviours after receiving this information. Health care workers were identified as the most trustworthy source of information on antibiotic use (67.2%). CONCLUSION: These results provide quantitative baseline data on Kosovar knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding the use of antibiotic. These findings have potential to empower educational campaigns to promote the prudent use of antibiotics in both community and health care settings.

The prevalence and resistance patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a tertiary care hospital in Kosovo.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium that continues to a leading cause of opportunistic nosocomial infections. The rapid increase in drug resistance in clinical isolates of this pathogen is a worldwide concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution rate, prevalence and resistance patterns of P. aeruginosa in clinical specimens from the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo (UCCK). During a three-year period, 553 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from patients admitted to a variety of UCCK units. The P. aeruginosa isolates were identified using standard laboratory procedures, and the susceptibility of the isolates to antimicrobial agents was investigated using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) (2013-2015) guidelines. P. aeruginosa was the second most frequently isolated pathogen. The isolation rate of P. aeruginosa was 7.6%, 10.1% and 8.6% in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Most clinical samples were from ICU (380, 68.7%). There was a statistically significant difference between ICU and non-ICU (p<0.05). P. aeruginosa isolates were most frequently isolated from the respiratory tract (323, 58.4%). The rate of resistance against most of the tested antimicrobials has increased, especially for carbapenems. Imipenem resistance was 25.2%, 26.5%, and 37.7% and meropenem resistance was 20.1%, 23.4%, and 36% in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. This study provides important data on current antimicrobial resistance, and the results demonstrate that the resistance rates are progressively increasing. There is an urgent need to emphasise the prudent use of antibiotics and strictly adhere to the concept of "reserve drugs" to minimise the misuse of available antimicrobials. The acquisition and analysis of prevalence and resistance data will be an important tool to identify targets for quality improvement in Kosovo and will support the preparation of guidelines and protocols for the prudent use of antibiotics.

Public knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use in Kosovo

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a major public health challenge worldwide, caused primarily by the misuse of antibiotics. Antibiotic use is closely related to the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of a population. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices about antibiotic use among the general public in Kosovo. Methods: A cross-sectional face-to-face survey was carried out with a sample of 811 randomly selected Kosovo residents. The methodology used for this survey was based on the European Commission Eurobarometer survey on antimicrobial resistance. Results: More than half of respondents (58.7%) have used antibiotics during the past year. A quarter of respondents consumed antibiotics without a medical prescription. The most common reasons for usage were flu (23.8%), followed by sore throat (20.2%), cold (13%) and common cold (7.6%). 42.5% of respondents think that antibiotics are effective against viral infections. Almost half of respondents (46.7%) received information about the unnecessary use of antibiotics and 32.5% of them report having changed their views and behaviours after receiving this information. Health care workers were identified as the most trustworthy source of information on antibiotic use (67.2%). Conclusion: These results provide quantitative baseline data on Kosovar knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding the use of antibiotic. These findings have potential to empower educational campaigns to promote the prudent use of antibiotics in both community and health care settings (AU)

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Molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii in central intensive care unit in Kosova teaching hospital

Infections caused by bacteria of genus Acinetobacter pose a significant health care challenge worldwide. Information on molecular epidemiological investigation of outbreaks caused by Acinetobacter species in Kosova is lacking. The present investigation was carried out to enlight molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacterbaumannii in the Central Intensive Care Unit (CICU) of a University hospital in Kosova using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). During March - July 2006, A. baumannii was isolated from 30 patients, of whom 22 were infected and 8 were colonised. Twenty patients had ventilator-associated pneumonia, one patient had meningitis, and two had coinfection with bloodstream infection and surgical site infection. The most common diagnoses upon admission to the ICU were politrauma and cerebral hemorrhage. Bacterial isolates were most frequently recovered from endotracheal aspirate (86.7 percent). First isolation occurred, on average, on day 8 following admission (range 1-26 days). Genotype analysis of A. baumannii isolates identified nine distinct PFGE patterns, with predominance of PFGE clone E represented by isolates from 9 patients. Eight strains were resistant to carbapenems. The genetic relatedness of Acinetobacter baumannii was high, indicating cross-transmission within the ICU setting. These results emphasize the need for measures to prevent nosocomial transmission of A. baumannii in ICU.

Molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii in central intensive care unit in Kosova Teaching Hospital.

Infections caused by bacteria of genus Acinetobacter pose a significant health care challenge worldwide. Information on molecular epidemiological investigation of outbreaks caused by Acinetobacter species in Kosova is lacking. The present investigation was carried out to enlight molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii in the Central Intensive Care Unit (CICU) of a University hospital in Kosova using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). During March - July 2006, A. baumannii was isolated from 30 patients, of whom 22 were infected and 8 were colonised. Twenty patients had ventilator-associated pneumonia, one patient had meningitis, and two had coinfection with bloodstream infection and surgical site infection. The most common diagnoses upon admission to the ICU were politrauma and cerebral hemorrhage. Bacterial isolates were most frequently recovered from endotracheal aspirate (86.7%). First isolation occurred, on average, on day 8 following admission (range 1-26 days). Genotype analysis of A. baumannii isolates identified nine distinct PFGE patterns, with predominance of PFGE clone E represented by isolates from 9 patients. Eight strains were resistant to carbapenems. The genetic relatedness of Acinetobacter baumannii was high, indicating cross-transmission within the ICU setting. These results emphasize the need for measures to prevent nosocomial transmission of A. baumannii in ICU.

Etiology and susceptibility of urinary tract isolates in Kosova.

Urinary tract infections are amongst the most common pathogenic infections with an increasing resistance to antimicrobials. The objective of this study was to determine the etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of urinary tract infection pathogens isolated in Kosovo. A retrospective study was carried from urine samples of both inpatients and outpatients that were received in our laboratory throughout 2001. During the study period, 16500 urine samples were analysed, of which 4260 (25.8%) had significant bacteriuria obtained from 1420 patients. Of this, 1059 (74.6%) were collected from females and 361 (25.4%) from males. Urine samples processed from outpatients were 72.5% (1029), whereas 27.5% (391) were from hospitalised patients. Escherichia coli was the most common aetiologic agent isolated (80.5%), followed by Proteus spp. (6.1%), Klebsiella spp. (5.9%), Citrobacter (5.1%) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (0.8%). Gram-positive bacteria accounted for only 0.3%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was only isolated from inpatients and was responsible for 0.6% of infections. Amoxicillin, ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole resistance rates were 48.7, 46.5 and 32.1%, respectively. Nitrofurantoin, cefalexin and ciprofloxacin expressed the highest susceptibility among these isolates. E. coli isolates from inpatients and outpatients showed more than 25% resistance to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole. Of all isolates, 16% (225) were resistant to three or more agents and considered multi-drug resistant. Current data on the prevalence of multidrug resistance among urinary tract isolates should be a consideration to change the current empiric treatment of urinary tract infections.

Tularemia outbreak investigation in Kosovo: case control and environmental studies.

A large outbreak of tularemia occurred in Kosovo in the early postwar period, 1999-2000. Epidemiologic and environmental investigations were conducted to identify sources of infection, modes of transmission, and household risk factors. Case and control status was verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blot, and microagglutination assay. A total of 327 serologically confirmed cases of tularemia pharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis were identified in 21 of 29 Kosovo municipalities. Matched analysis of 46 case households and 76 control households suggested that infection was transmitted through contaminated food or water and that the source of infection was rodents. Environmental circumstances in war-torn Kosovo led to epizootic rodent tularemia and its spread to resettled rural populations living under circumstances of substandard housing, hygiene, and sanitation.