Ondřej Holý

• Ph.D. - Epidemiology
• Professor (Associate) at Palacký University Olomouc

Health is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. The importance of health promotion is growing in the context of an aging population and increasing life expectancy. Prevention is often underestimated and neglected by citizens. This article aims to identify the socioeconomic predictors of preventive health check-ups by general practitioners in th...

Nanotechnology is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life. Despite this growing integration, public awareness of nanotechnology's functionality, benefits, and potential risks remains limited. This is particularly true for Generation Z, the first digitally native generation, which is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of tec...

Nanotechnology plays a crucial role in the development of innovative products, yet public apprehension regarding its potential risks remains a significant barrier to its acceptance. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and fears associated with nanomaterials among university students in the Czech Republic, aiming to inform policy formu...

The current development of nanotechnology responds to climate change, sustainability issues, the energy crisis, and the need to improve the quality of life. The question, however, is what are the societal impacts and public acceptance of nanotechnology? To explore this, a pilot cross-sectional study was conducted in the Czech Republic. The main obj...

Background Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is linked to various mental health issues, but the relationship between PSU, bedtime procrastination, and mental health symptoms is unclear. Sleep factors related to PSU and its mental health effects have been understudied. This study explores the longitudinal associations between PSU, bedtime procrastina...

Introduction For many infectious diseases, women are at higher risk and have a more severe disease course than men for many reasons, including biological differences, social inequalities, and restrictive cultural norms. The study focuses on infections with human papillomaviruses (HPV) in the form of cervical cancer as a gender-specific disease. The...

The aim of this study was to map the spectrum of microorganisms belonging to the genus Acinetobacter in domestic animals with a specific focus on the prevalence of Acinetobacter pseudolwoffii. Additionally, the susceptibility of isolates to antimicrobial agents was determined. In the period from January 1, 2014, to August 31, 2015, a total of 9 544...

Introduction Though researchers and scholars have greatly emphasized addressing the influencing factors of vaccination hesitancy, little attention has been paid to patients with celiac disease. Addressing the variables hampering attitudes might help direct appropriate patient advocacy and doctor-patient communication endeavors to encourage vaccinat...

The objective of this study was to use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to screen for genes encoding for antibiotic resistance, fitness and virulence in Cronobacter sakazakii strains that had been isolated from food and powdered-milk-producing environments. Virulence (VGs) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) were detected with the Comprehensive Ant...

Background and aims: There are limited data on real clinical practice in heart failure patients in the Czech Republic. We analysed the clinical parameters from the Moravian Midlands Registry (MMR) and compared them to LCZ696 patients in the Paradigm-HF trial. The Moravian Midlands Registry is a retrospective patient database from two outpatient ca...

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) constitutes a serious threat to pregnant women. One of the key strategies for preventing and managing the COVID-19 epidemic is vaccination. Herd immunity is significantly hampered by COVID-19 vaccine reluctance, which poses a potential threat to population health. Therefore, the present work intends to asc...

Background Effective strategies for managing coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients suffering from acute respiratory distress are constantly evolving. The timeline and threshold for transitioning from non-invasive ventilation to intermittent mandatory ventilation in critical cases who develop COVID-19-related respiratory distress are undetermin...

Environmental degradation is a significant concern that jeopardizes global sustainable production and consumption. In this instance, ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) has contributed to a considerable amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions throughout the modernization phase. However, there is a paucity of information within this r...

Objectives: Maintaining cleanrooms in a hospital is a key part of preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The aim of this work was to verify the effectiveness of anti-epidemic measures to ensure air quality in cleanrooms in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: The study was based on the application of anti-epidemic measures and verific...

This study characterized five Cronobacter spp. and six Salmonella spp. strains that had been isolated from 155 samples of powdered infant formula (PIF) sold in Chile and manufactured in Chile and Mexico in 2018–2020. Two strains of Cronobacter sakazakii sequence type (ST) ST1 and ST31 (serotypes O:1 and O:2) and one strain of Cronobacter malonaticu...

Listeria monocytogenes is causing listeriosis, a rare but severe foodborne infection. Listeriosis affects pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are the most common sources of transmission of the pathogen This study explored the virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in L. monocytoge...

Objectives: Although the incidence of measles has decreased globally since the introduction of regular vaccination, its frequency has increased again in recent years. The study is focused on data from the Olomouc Region in the Czech Republic analyzed in four laboratories. The obtained results were compared with already published data. Methods: T...

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of different Staphylococcus species isolated from pathological processes and lesions in domestic animals in the Czech Republic and to detect and describe oxacillin (methicillin)-resistant strains (MRS). During the years 2019–2020, a total of 5218 veterinary clinical samples from the Czech Republi...

Cronobacter sakazakii is a pathogen that causes severe diseases such as meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis in infants under 12 months, associated with the consumption of contaminated rehydrated powdered infant formula (PIF). We present seven C. sakazakii genome sequences isolated from PIF and dairy products in Chile in 2017.

Acute leukaemias are malignant diseases of haematopoiesis, traditionally classified according to the affected cell line as acute lymphoblastic and acute myelogenous leukaemia. In terms of incidence, acute leukaemias are rare diseases - in the Czech Republic, only 2-3 new acute myelogenous leukaemia cases/100 000 population are diagnosed annually an...

Cronobacter sakazakii is an enteropathogen that causes neonatal meningitis, septicemia, and necrotizing enteritis in preterm infants and newborns with a mortality rate of 40% to 80%. Powdered and dairy formulas (P-DF) have been implicated as transmission vehicles and the presence of this pathogen in P-DF led to product recalls in Chile in 2017. The...

Cronobacter sakazakii is a pathogen that causes severe diseases such as meningitis and necrotizing enteritis in infants under 12 months associated with the consumption of rehydrated powdered infant formula (PIF) contaminated with the pathogen. We present seven C. sakazakii genomes isolated from PIF and dairy products in Chile in 2017.

Breast milk and powdered milk are the primary food for children. However, they are susceptible to contamination by microorganisms such as Cronobacter spp. Cronobacter spp. has been a concern for health authorities because of its association with severe neonatal infections and powdered infant formula consumption. As a result, the microbiological cri...

Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The organism causes infections in all age groups, but the most serious cases occur in outbreaks related to neonates with meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. The objective was to determine the in silico and in vitro putative virulence factors of six Cronobacter saka...

Background Innovations and use of modern IT approaches are important for new generation of health professionals, in particular for strengthening their core competences on health protection, public health emergencies, preparedness and response. Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL), Czech Republic, one of the full ASPHER...

Oxacillinases (OXA) have been mostly described in Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas species. Recent years have witnessed an increased prevalence of intrinsic and/or acquired β-lactamase-producing Acinetobacter in food-producing animals. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of OXA among selected bacterial species and to...

Cronobacter is a bacterial genus that includes seven species, and the species Cronobacter sakazakii is most related to meningitis and septicemia in infants associated with powdered infant formula (PIF). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the presence of C. sakazakii and to determine the microbiological quality of PIF for infant consumpti...

The aim of the publication is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the complex and very current issues of vaccination against infectious diseases. The first part of the publication deals with the composition of vaccines, immunological principles of vaccination, the legislative side and vaccination in specific groups of patients. One...

Cronobacter spp. have been recognized as causative agents of various severe infections in pre-term or full-term infants as well as elderly adults suffering from serious underlying disease or malignancy. A surveillance study was designed to identify antibiotic resistance among clinical Cronobacter spp. strains, which were isolated from patients of t...

The aim of this work was to compare production of endotoxin and to determine susceptibility to antibiotics in two groups of specimens—wild-type strains Ochrobactrum anthropi isolated from the environment and the strains isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis. The determination of the endotoxin produced by the test strains was carried on by usi...

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It is a worldwide spread disease occurring especially in countries with a low vac- cination level, that means developing countries in particular, from which it can be spread further. In developed countries cases of measles are mostly imported; an equally important group of infections, however, is the ci...

Cronobacter sakazakii has been documented as a cause of life-threating infections, predominantly in neonates. We conducted a multicenter study to assess the occurrence of C. sakazakii across Europe and the extent of clonality for outbreak detection. National coordinators representing 24 countries in Europe were requested to submit all human C. saka...

Cronobacter malonaticus is a member of the genus Cronobacter which is considered an opportunistic pathogen. The significance of C. malonaticus has recently increased since it was documented to be involved in several serious neonatal infections. However, the virulence factors of C. malonaticus including their ability to adhere, invade and overcome h...

Background: Acute leukemia (AL) is a heterogeneous group of malignant hematopoietic diseases and is divided into two basic types: acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients with these diseases are highly immunosuppressed and therefore at a high risk of serious infections. This study aimed to perform active surveil...

The pathogenicity of bacterial strains isolated from pathological processes and lesions of horses, strategies for their treatment and the choice of appropriate antimicrobials are frequently a challenging problem for private veterinarians who seek help in our laboratory. Therefore, the aim of this study was to map genera and species of Gram-negative...

Objectives: Staphylococcus epidermidis and coagulase-negative staphylococci generally are important causative agents of hospital-acquired infections. A significant role in this process is played by their common ability to form biofilm, a highly organized community of microorganisms adhering to inert surfaces. The study aimed to determine the preval...

The aim of this study was to describe two case studies of reptile disease, in which the primary pathogen was apparently Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Paratyphi B. Pathological examinations, sampling from different organs and cloacal swabs was performed on a dead savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) and a sick green tree pytho...

Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis are very serious diseases threatening children and adults for life. However, these diseases are preventable by vaccination. As soon as The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded in 1946, its experts rapidly developed the vaccination calendar for the pediatric population. Former Czechoslovakia, which was a foun...

The aim of this study was to characterise the genera and species of Gram-positive aerobic and microaerophilic microorganisms isolated from pathological processes and lesions in horses. In the period 2009-2014, 449 clinical samples from horses were examined. Of these, 229 (51%) were collected from the respiratory tract, 121 (26.9%) from the skin, 40...

Objective: To determine the current presence of Legionella spp. in the output water of dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) and examine its mitigation by disinfection at the Institute of Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc and University Hospital Olomouc. Material and methods: The first stage of o...

Bed bugs have become a major concern worldwide in the 21st century and are therefore intensively investigated. The new findings not only extend the knowledge of their biology, medical relevance, and causes of the resurgence, but also can be used in bed bug management. A brief overview is provided of some of the most important research results and o...

Odvětví ekonomické činnosti Zdravotní a sociální péče dlouhodobě patří mezi odvětví s nejvyšším výskytem nemocí z povolání, především přenosných a parazitárních s interhumánním přenosem – v tomto přehledovém článku autoři předkládají jejich výskyt u této skupiny pracovníků za léta 2008–2015. Nejčastějšími infekcemi z povolání jsou ve zdravotnictví...

The branches of economic activity in Medical and social care belong to branches with the higher incidence of occupational diseases especially concerning transmissible and parasitic ones with inter-human transfer. In this review the authors present their occurrence in this group of workers over the period of 2008–2015. The most frequent occupational...

Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic pathogens associated with serious infections in neonates. Increased stress tolerance, including the thermotolerance of some Cronobacter strains, can promote their survival in production facilities and thus raise the possibility of contamination of dried infant formula which has been identified as a potential sourc...

Aim: The aim of the study was to control the microbial contamination of indoor air monitored monthly at the Transplant Unit of the University Hospital Olomouc from August 2010 to July 2011. Methods: The unit is equipped with a three-stage air filtration system with HEPA filters. The MAS-100 air sampler (Merck, GER) was used. Twenty locations wer...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised all Cronobacter species as human pathogens. Among premature neonates and immunocompromised infants, these infections can be life-threatening, with clinical presentations of septicaemia, meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis. The neurological sequelae can be permanent and the mortality rate as hi...

West Nile Virus (WNV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae. It is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, capable of sucking blood on birds and mammals, most often by mosquitoes of the genus Culex. In humans, the virus was first identified in 1937 in the West Nile region, Uganda, Africa. Later, the virus spread and caused more or less severe epidemics o...

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major agents of both healthcare- and community-associated infections. Nasal carriage of S. aureus has been reported in approximately 37% of healthy persons. 1. To investigate the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA in healthy persons of the age group 18-26 years (general medicine students of the Pa...

ABSTRAKT Použití mikroorganismů a toxinů jako biologických zbraní sloužících k útoku proti nepříteli je myšlenka stará téměř jako lidstvo samo. Biologické zbraně jsou unikátní, jak pro svou neviditelnost, tak pro svou schopnost vyvolat one-mocnění se značným devastujícím účinkem. Spíše než se strany států hrozí v současné době zneužití biologických...

ABSTRAKT Biologické zbraně hromadného ničení jsou unikátním ná-strojem zbrojního arzenálu. Jedním z hlavních důvodů je schopnost vyvolat onemocnění se značným odstupem od okamžiku jejich použití. Spíše než ze strany států, hrozí v současné době použití biologických zbraní hro-madného ničení ze strany různých teroristických skupin. Tyto vlastnosti j...

Aims: Aim of this study was to monitor the environment at the Transplant Unit-Hemato-Oncology Clinic, University Hospital Olomouc (Olomouc, Czech Republic) and identify risks for the patients. Methods and results: Microorganisms were cultivated under standard aerobic conditions. Strains were biochemically identified using the BD Phoenix™ PID Pan...

The investigated of the potable water treatment room and the sanitary facilities of patient boxes was held. The potable water treatment room had three collection points (ball valves), while in the sanitary facilities potable water was collected from the tap, shower, and the flush tank. A swab was taken from the inside wall of the toilet tank. The s...

Unlabelled: The data on the incidence of Cronobacter spp. was collated from hospital records for the seven-year period 2005-2011. The majority of Cronobacter spp. isolates (n = 91) were from throat swabs (61), followed by urine (5), tracheal aspirates (5), bronchoalveolar lavage (4), cannulae (4), and sputum (3) samples. This is the first study wh...

For one year (August 2010 to July 2011), microbial contamination of the indoor air in the Transplant Unit of the Haemato-Oncology Clinic, Olomouc University Hospital was monitored monthly. Twenty sampling sites were singled out and a total of 240 indoor air samples were collected. An MAS-100 air sampler (Merck, GER) was used, air flow rate of 100 l...

Background Until recently, members of the Cronobacter genus (formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii) were a relatively unknown cause of nosocomial infections. However, their association with infant infections, particularly through the consumption of contaminated reconstituted infant formula in neonatal intensive care units, has resulted in intern...

Strains of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are opportunistic pathogens capable of causing serious infection in cystic fibrosis patients. Recently we identified a suspected outbreak of infection with Bcc strains at the University Hospital Olomouc. Seventy-four Bcc strains were isolated from 52 patients, most of whom (N = 48) did not suffer fr...

A study entitled "Surveillance of Infectious Complications in Hemato-oncological Patients", was conducted at the Department of Hemato-Oncology, University Hospital Olomouc from 1 July 2010 to 31 August 2011. During the study period, a total of 96 patients were hospitalized at that department and 63 stem cell transplants were performed, 43 autologou...

A study entitled "Surveillance of Infectious Complications in Hemato-oncological Patients" was conducted at the Department of Hemato-Oncology, University Hospital Olomouc from 1 July 2010 to 31 August 2011. During the study period, a total of 63 patients were hospitalized at that department and 33 stem cell transplants were performed, 21 autologous...

The main purpose of cleanrooms in health care centres is to prevent hospital infections or leakage of a highly infectious agent (the source of haemorrhagic fevers, SARS, etc.) into the ambient environment and subsequently possibly threatening other individuals. Patients with haematological malignancies or after autologous or allogeneic haematopoiet...

A prerequisite for successful identification of anaerobic pathogenic bacteria from samples of clinical material is the method of cultivation. Currently, several methods of cultivation in anaerobic environment are used: cultivation in anaerobic box, anaerobic jar, and in nonrecurring cultivation system. Here, we determined the suitability of the abo...

Cronobacter spp. belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a motile (peritricha) Gram-negative non-spore forming bacterium. At present, Enterobacter sakazakii is reported as a Cronobacter spp. species with 16 biogroups. It is a ubiquitous organism whose isolation used to be associated with a contaminated powdered infant formula and feed for n...