Antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens in Serbia: phenotypic and genotypic characterization

Antibiotic resistance is a linked global problem of huge medical significance. In this research our interest focuses on four pathogens, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. They present major threats to public health due to their high disease burden and increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents. Scientific data on resistance in these bacteria in Serbia remain scarce. The survey is designed to include different representative samples of strains belonging to the four species that will be collected throughout the study period. We intend to determine the frequency of antimicrobial resistance of selected four pathogens, to identify predominant resistotypes present in the local community, and to detect molecular mechanisms conferring resistance in the strains analyzed. Molecular epidemiological tools will be used to recognize clonality and relatedness of the resistant strains obtained over the study period and to discern whether well defined international resistant clones of the four species analyzed are present in Serbia. With this project we aim to build the first scientifically well based approach to the problem of antimicrobial resistance of selected pathogens in Serbia. Different aspects of their resistance will be elucidated and the knowledge gathered may contribute to better prevention and treatment of infections they cause.