Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.37797/ig.43.3.2
Anaerobes in Focus: Two-Year Epidemiology and Resistance Trends in Osijek, Croatia
Marko Živkov
; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Nina Dener
; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Maja Bogdan
orcid.org/0000-0003-0692-5437
; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
*
Ivana Roksandić-Križan
; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Sara Kibel Šostarko
; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Marijan Orlović
; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Dinko Paulić
; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Teaching Institute of Public Health Osijek-Baranja County, Osijek, Croatia
Domagoj Drenjančević
; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Background: Although anaerobic bacteria are not often isolated from clinical specimens, they are an important cause of morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of strictly anaerobic bacteria at University Hospital Centre Osijek, Croatia over a two-year period.
Methods: Data collected at the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Hospital Infections, University Hospital Centre Osijek, Croatia over a two-year period were analysed. Samples sent to the laboratory for anaerobic cultivation were inoculated onto solid and/or liquid media and incubated in an anaerobic atmosphere. Culture media were inspected every 48 hours, and grown colonies were subjected to an aerotolerance test. Identification of strictly anaerobic isolates was performed using a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer (MALDI Biotyper, Bruker, Germany). Susceptibility of isolates was tested by the breakpoint method with a commercially available test (ATB ANA EU, Biomerieux, France) and interpreted according to EUCAST guidelines.
Results: A total of 605 anaerobic isolates were detected, of which 274 were strictly anaerobic. The most abundant genus was Bacteroides spp., with 130 (47.45%) isolates, and B. fragilis was the predominant species with 71 (54.61%) isolates. The highest resistance among Gram-negative bacteria was to penicillin (80.17%). The highest resistance among Gram-positive bacteria was to metronidazole (38.46%).
Conclusions: Bacteroides fragilis was the most frequently isolated anaerobic bacterium during the two-year period at University Hospital Centre Osijek, Croatia. Resistance to metronidazole, the first therapeutic choice, remains very low, but resistance to clindamycin is concerning. Further monitoring of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of anaerobic bacteria is required.
Keywords
anaerobic bacteria; antimicrobial resistance; antimicrobial susceptibility testing; Bacteroides fragilis
Hrčak ID:
352444
URI
Publication date:
19.10.2026.
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