Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39875613›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology2025

Epidemiology of invasive Haemophilus influenzae infections in Belgium: 2018-2022.

Ricardo El Nouwar, Benoit Prevost, Magali Wautier, Nicolas Yin, Maya Hites, Delphine Martiny

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Article in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Exploiting haem-iron dependence of nontypeableFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Review
  5. Genomic profiling of cefotaxime-resistantFrontiers in microbiology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ricardo El NouwarClinic of Infectious Diseases, Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (HUB), Brussels, Belgium. ricardo.elnouwar@hubruxelles.be.
Benoit PrevostNational reference centre for Haemophilus influenzae, Department of microbiology, Laboratoire Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles - Universitair Laboratorium Brussel (LHUB-ULB), Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Magali WautierNational reference centre for Haemophilus influenzae, Department of microbiology, Laboratoire Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles - Universitair Laboratorium Brussel (LHUB-ULB), Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Nicolas YinNational reference centre for Haemophilus influenzae, Department of microbiology, Laboratoire Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles - Universitair Laboratorium Brussel (LHUB-ULB), Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Maya HitesClinic of Infectious Diseases, Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (HUB), Brussels, Belgium.
Delphine MartinyNational reference centre for Haemophilus influenzae, Department of microbiology, Laboratoire Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles - Universitair Laboratorium Brussel (LHUB-ULB), Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHaemophilus influenzae plays a major role in invasive bacterial infections. Resistant strains are emerging, prompting the WHO to include H. influenzae on its list of priority pathogens for research and development of new antibiotics. PURPOSE: We aimed to describe the serotypes, demographics and susceptibility profiles of invasive strains collected in Belgium.

methodsData on invasive strains referred to the Belgian National Reference Center for H. influenzae from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed retrospectively.

resultsA total of 608 invasive strains were included. The number of notifications per year ranged from 85 to 165, with a marked decrease between 2020 and 2021. The highest incidence rate was observed in Brussels (1.56 per 100,000 inhabitants over the five year 2018-2022). Sex and age distribution were in line with global trends, as was the predominance of the non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHI). Beta-lactam resistance varies between molecules: 18.9% for ampicillin, 5.6% for amoxicillin-clavulanate. Mutations in the ftsI gene associated with decreased susceptibility to beta-lactams increased from 11.5 to 17.7% over the period studied. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the epidemiology of invasive H. influenzae infections in Belgium. Demographic analysis identified a significant male predominance among infants, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.57 in patients under one year of age, a high figure not previously reported in the literature. The continued predominance of NTHI underscores the efficacy of Hib vaccination, although the emergence of Hib in patients younger than five years in 2022 suggests an alarming serotype dynamic. The detection of meropenem resistance also highlights the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, while the increase in ftsI gene mutations raises concerns about the efficacy of first-line treatment.

conclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of invasive H. influenzae infections in Belgium, focusing on demographic changes, serotype predominance and antimicrobial resistance trends. Vigilant surveillance and research are essential to address emerging challenges and guide future interventions, including potential vaccine development.

Indexed as

Haemophilus InfectionsHaemophilus influenzaeAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnti-Bacterial AgentsBelgiumChildChild, PreschoolCOVID-19FemaleHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntibiotic resistanceBelgiumEpidemiologyHaemophilus influenzaeInvasive infection

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.