COVID-19 has had a significant impact on health care systems, including drug use. The present study aimed to evaluate the patterns of community supply of antimicrobials from community pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic in five cities of Russia. In a cross-sectional study, a random sample of pharmacies reported all episodes of antimicrobials supply during a one-week period. Patterns of supply (age and gender of customer, drug name and formulation, prescription availability, indication, etc.) were analyzed. Altogether, 71 pharmacies took part in the study and 5270 encounters were recorded. In total, 4.2% of visits resulted in supply of more than one antimicrobial agent and 5.2% were for parenteral formulations. The rate of prescription-based purchase in participated cities varied from 40.5 to 99.1%. Systemic antibiotics and antivirals accounted for the majority of supplies (60.5 and 26.3%, respectively). Upper respiratory tract infections were reported as the indication for antimicrobials usage in 36.9% of cases, followed by skin and soft tissue infections (12.1%) and urinary tract infections (8.7%); COVID-19 accounted for 8.4% of all supplies. Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, azithromycin and amoxicillin were indicated as the top three antimicrobials purchased for upper respiratory tract infections, and azithromycin, umifenovir and levofloxacin were the top three for COVID-19. In general, a high rate of drugs dispensing without prescription was revealed. Antibiotics for systemic use remained the most common antimicrobials, whereas presumably viral upper respiratory tract infections were the main reason for their purchase. COVID-19 infection itself was responsible for a small proportion of the supply of antimicrobial agents, but systemic antibiotics accounted for more than a half of supplies.

Objective. To estimate the prevalence of S. pneumoniae serotypes in adults aged of 18 years and older, including healthy carriers and patients with acute otitis media (AOM), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and invasive pneumococcal infection (IPI). Materials and Methods. A total of 230 isolates of S. pneumoniae from 10 centers were included in the study from 01.06.2019 to 01.10.2019. Re-identification and typing using real-time PCR with 22 primer pairs were performed in the central laboratory (Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Russia). Results. In healthy nasopharyngeal carriers (n = 31), the following serotypes of S. pneumoniae were detected: 19F (29.0%), 6А/В (22.6%), 3 (16.1%), 11A/D and 23F (9.7% each), 23A (6.4%), 14 and 15A/F (3.2% each); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 80.6% and 90.3% of those serotypes, respectively. In patients with AOM (n = 18), serotypes were: 3 (16.7%), 11A/D and 6A/B (11.1%, each), 16, 19А, 19F, 23F, 7A/F (5.55%, each); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 50% and 61.1% of those serotypes, respectively. Among 166 isolates from patients with CAP, the following serotypes were detected: 3 (12.0%), 19F and 6A/B (10.2%, each), 14 and 11A/D (5.4% each), 15A/F and 23A (4.8% each), 9N/L (4.2%), 18 and 22A/F (2.4% each), 19A and 23F (1.8% each), 16, 9V/A (1.2% each), 4 and 33A/33F/37 (0.6% each), non-vaccine serotypes (30.3%); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 45.6% and 57.0% of those serotypes, respectively. Isolates from patients with IPI (n=15) belonged to the following serotypes: 3 (26.7%), 12F, 23F and 9N/L (13.3% each), serotypes 4 and 15A/F (6.7%), non-vaccine serotype – 1 isolate (6.7%); PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 46.7% and 73.3% of those serotypes, respectively. Conclusions. The majority of S. pneumoniae serotypes in adult population in Russia are included in PPV-23, but not in PCV-13 (primarily due to serotype 11A/D). There was a high PCV-13 and PPV-23 coverage of serotypes from healthy nasopharyngeal carriers. PPV-23 covered more than 60% of clinical isolates, whereas PCV-13 covered less than 60% (AOM – 50.0%, CAP – 45.6%, IPI – 46.7%), thus indicating a potentially lower efficacy of PCV-13 in adult population.

The constant increase in the level of resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae to antimicrobial drugs significantly affects the algorithms for the pharmacotherapy of pneumococcal infection, reduces the effectiveness of the therapy and increases the healthcare costs. In this regard, specific vaccine prevention of pneumococcal diseases is a socially significant and economically promising and profitable area.The aim of the study is to analyze the current status of antimicrobial resistance of S. pneumoniae in healthy carriers and patients with non-invasive and invasive pneumococcal infections, as well as specific vaccine prevention of pneumococcal infection.Conclusion. An increase in the number of pneumococcal strains resistant to macrolides and tetracycline has been noted, as well as a trend toward an increase in resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. Given the spread of resistant strains of S. pneumoniae, a continuous epidemiological surveillance of pneumococcal infection with an assessment of the dynamics of pneumococcal serotype resistance and the effectiveness of vaccination is needed on a global scale.

Objective. To estimate prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of circulated S. pneumoniae serotypes in adult population in different regions of the Russian Federation. Materials and Methods. A total of 500 isolates of S. pneumoniae obtained from patients with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), sinusitis/acute otitis media (AOM) and healthy carriers from 29 centers were included in the study from 01 June 2019 to 15 January 2020. Re-identification, typing using real-time PCR with 27 primer pairs and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed in the central laboratory by standardized methods. Results. Among 50 isolates from patients with IPD, the following serotypes were detected: 3 (20.0%), 23F (10.0%), 6ABCD (8.0%), 19F (6.0%), 12ABF, 4, 7AF, 8, 9NL, 9VA, 15B (4.0% each), 1, 10A, 11AD, 14, 15AF, 18ABCF, 22AF, 33F/33A/37 (2.0% each). PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 62.0% and 86.0% of those serotypes, respectively. Among 357 isolates from patients with CAP, the following serotypes were detected: 19F (12.3%), 6ABCD (11.5%), 3 (10.1%), 23F (5.9%), 14 (5.3%), 22AF (5.0%), 11AD (4.8%), 9NL (3.4%), 15AF (2.8%), 9VA (2.2%), 18ABCF (2.0%), 19A (1.7%), 12ABF (1.4%), 17F (0.8%), 16, 33F/33A/37, 7AF and 8 (0.6% each), 10A and 4 (0,3% each); serotypes were not specified due to the PCR typing protocol limitations for 106 (29.8%) isolates. PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 51.9% and 68.7% of those serotypes, respectively. In patients with sinusitis/AOM (n = 48), serotypes were: 19F (18.8%), 6ABCD (16.7%), 23F (12.5%), 3 (12.5%), 18ABCF (6.3%), 11AD (4.2%), 14 (4.2%), 22AF (4.2%), 15AF, 4, 9VA (2.1% each). PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 75.0% and 83.3% of those serotypes, respectively. In healthy nasopharyngeal carriers (n = 45), the following serotypes were detected: 19F (24.4%), 3 (17.8%), 6ABCD (17.8%), 11AD (13.3%), 23F (8.9%), 22AF (6.7%), 14 and 15AF (2.2% each). PCV-13 and PPV-23 covered 71.1% and 91.1% of those serotypes, respectively. Serotypes 14, 19F, and 19A were frequently resistant to three antibiotics – penicillin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Resistance to respiratory quinolones was very low (0.7%) and detected among serotypes 14 and 9NL only. The majority of non-vaccine serotypes did not have substantial antimicrobial resistance problems. Conclusions. Despite the relatively low number of isolates in all but CAP group and limitations of PCR typing protocol, results of our study support the use of pneumococcal vaccines (PPV-23 and PCV-13) in Russian adult population, with some advantages of PPV-23 over PCV-13.

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