Summary: | The aim of this study was to present the epidemiology of invasive diseases caused by <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> and <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> in the pre-vaccine period, and <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> in the post-vaccine period in a pediatric population from Serbia. Among the meningococci, serogroup B dominated (83%), followed by serogroup C (11.3%). High antigenic diversity was found, with fine type P1.5-1,10-4 being the most frequent. Moderate susceptibility to penicillin was common (55%). Within pneumococci, serotypes 19F, 14, 6B, 6A, 18C, 23F, 3, and 7F prevailed, while 19A was rare (3.6%). The coverages of PCV10 and PCV13 were 68% and 84%, respectively. Major sequence types were ST320, ST15, ST273, ST271, and ST81. Non-susceptibility to penicillin (66.7%), cefotaxime (37%), and macrolides (55%) was predominantly detected in vaccine-related serotypes. Among the 11 invasive <i>H</i><i>. influenzae</i> isolates collected, there were six Hib, three non-type b, and two non-typeable strains (ntHi) that were antibiotic susceptible. These results imply a potential benefit of future Men-B vaccine implementations. For pneumococci, as PCV10 was recently introduced, a significant reduction of morbidity and antibiotic resistance might be expected. The efficiency of Hib vaccination is evident, but a shift towards non-type b and ntHi strains may be anticipated.
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