Balkan Fungus

8:30 – 9:30 Plenary Lectures 2 – Diagnosis and treatment of fungal diseases
Chairs: Robert Leo Skov (Denmark) and Biljana Miličić (Serbia)
30 min PL5_72 Timoleon-Achilleas Vyzantiadis (Greece) Diagnostic stewardship in mycoses – molecular and antigen-based tests
30 min PL6_73 Georgia Vrioni (Greece) The diagnostic capacity and current state of antifungal treatment across Balkans
Q&A

9:30-10:30 Plenary Lectures 3 – Antifungal resistance
Chairs: Μaja Šegvić Klarić (Croatia) and Ozlem Dogan (Turkey)
30 min PL3_02 Sevtap Arıkan Akdagli (Turkey) A growing threat: Antifungal resistance
30 min PL4_59 Robert Leo Skov (Denmark) Ongoing challenge of antimicrobial resistance

Q&A Coffee break 10:30 – 11:00

11:00 – 11:40 Keynote Lectures 4 – Antifungal susceptibility testing – AFST
Chairs: Gokhan Metan (Turkey) and Marijana Mimović (Montenegro)
20 min KL6_58 Diamantis Kofteridis (Greece) Antifungal stewardship
20 min KL7_74 Joseph Meletiadis (Greece) Antifungal susceptibility testing, what do we do when there are not clinical breakpoints?
Q&A

11:50 – 12:50 Keynote Lectures 5 – Invasive fungal infections
Chair: Valentina Ruxandra Moroti (Romania) and Anna Skiada (Greece)
20 min KL8_29 Ali Korhan Sig (Turkey) Trends and changes in epidemiology of fungi leading to invasive fungal infections in Balkans
20 min KL9_69 Milena Balint Todorović (Serbia) Incidence of fungal infections during the application of high-dose chemotherapy
20 min KL10_71 Oskar Ekelund (Sweeden) Wako beta-glucan test for the diagnosis of fungal infections
Q&A

13:00 – 13:40 Meet-the-Experts Lectures 1 – Aspergillus
Chairs: George Florin Horhat (Romania) and Oskar Ekelund (Sweeden)
20 min EL1_7 Ozlem Dogan (Turkey) Aspergillus and Aspergillosis in One Health perspective
20 min EL2_57 Miranda Drogari Apiranthitou (Greece) Aspergillosis and rare mould infections: cases from the Balkans
Q&A

Lunch break 13:40-15:00
15:00 – 16:00 Plenary Lectures 4 – Fungal outbreak
Chairs: Aleksandra Ignjatović (Serbia) and Andra-Cristina Bostanaru-Iliescu (Romania)
30 min PL7_49 Ferry Hagen (The Netherlands) The evolution of fungal outbreak typing – from microsatellites to multi-locus gene sequencing to WGS
30 min PL8_64 Valentina Ruxandra Moroti (Romania) Cryptococcus species decrypted: life and death
Q&A

16:10 – 17:00 Plenary Lectures 5 – Rare molds and emerging yeast Candida auris
Chairs: Ferry Hagen (The Netherlands) and Iulia Bagiu (Romania)
30 min PL11_66 Anna Skiada (Greece) Mucormycosis: cases from the Balkans
20 min EL8_44 Andra-Cristina Bostanaru-Iliescu (Romania) Fighting against Candida auris using unconventional alternatives
Q&A

17:10-17:50 Oral abstract presentations – Interactive stories from the Real Life and Case Reports 2
Cheirs: Miranda Drogari Apiranthitou (Greece) and Milena Balint Todorović (Serbia)
10 min OP52 Anastasia Izampella Papathanasiou (Greece) Patterns and trends of antifungal consumption in pediatric departments of a tertiary hospital
10 min OP33 Maja Travar (BiH) Candidemia in febrile neutropenic patients in period 2021 till 2023 in University Clinical Center of Republic of Srpska
10 min OP6 Ida Ćurtović (Croatia) Clinical and corn borne Fusarium fujikuroi species complex biodiversity and antifungal resistance
10 min OP846 Miranda Drogari Apiranthitou (Greece) Infections due to rare molds (except mucormycetes) in Greece: a prospective epidemiological study
Q&A

14:30 – 18:30 PRACTICAL WORK WORKSHOP AT THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE UNIVERISTY OF BELGRADE (only registered)

18:00 – 19:00 Museum Nikola Tesla group I;
19:00 – 20:00 Museum Nikola Tesla group II (optional);
20:00 – 23:00 TRADITIONAL DINNER

Invited speakers (PL – Plenary Lecture; EL – Expert Lecture; KL – Keynote Lecture); OP – Oral Abstract Presentation; P – Poster

8:30 – 10:00 Meet-the-Experts Lectures 2 – Fungi in animals, environment and in the water
Chairs: Gjylameti Najada (Albaniaa) and Maria Alexandrou (Cyprus)
20 min EL3_55 Zalar Polona (Slovenia) Extremophilic fungi in our surrounding
20 min EL5_22 Monika Novak Babič (Slovenia) Fungi in water before and after chlorination, the influence of materials
20 min EL4_10 Suzana Hadjina (Croatia) Fungal Infections in animals
20 min EL6_27 Μaja Šegvić Klarić (Croatia) Human fusariosis: resistant foot-shapes emerge from water drains
Q&A

10:00 – 11:00 Oral abstract presentation – Interactive stories from the Real Life and Case Reports 3
Chairs: Mihaela-Sorina Lupse (Romania) and Zalar Polona (Slovenia)
10 min OP48 Styliani Goumperi (Greece) Surveillance of a Candida auris outbreak in a large tertiary hospital of Northern Greece
10 min OP26 Poupolopoulou Aikaterini (Greece) Deep analysis of the genetic susceptibility profile of Candida auris strains from the outbreak in Northern Greece: Whole genome sequencing using nanopore technology
10 min OP9 Gjylameti Najada (Albania) Non albicans Candida species emergent pathogens of fungal peritonitis
10min OP39 Athanasios Vyzantiadis (Greece) Septic arthritis caused by Aspergillus niger
Q&A

Coffee break 11:00-11:30

11:30 – 12:40 Meet-the-Experts Lectures 3 – Methodology; Guidelines, Mycobiom, Biofilm
Chairs: Lidija Šenerović (Serbia) and Monika Novak Babič (Slovenia)
20 min EL10_11 George Florin Horhat (Romania) Automated Solutions in Microbiology: Pioneering the Future of Analysis and Diagnosis
20 min EL7_43 Maria Alexandrou (Cyprus) Methodology and interpretation of the AFST for yeasts, based on the EUCAST guidelines
20 min EL9_18 Mihaela-Sorina Lupse (Romania) Gut mycobiota between health and disease
10 min OP13 Carević Tamara (Serbia) Impact of common food sweeteners on virulence and resistance of Candida albicans
Q&A

12:50 – 13:40 Oral abstract presentation – Interactive stories from the Real Life and Case Reports 4
Chairs: Joseph Meletiadis (Greece) and Niaz Tihic (BiH)
10 min OP30 Natasa Teovska Mitrevska (North Macedonia) Onychomycosis treatment with laser
10 min OP3 Bogdan Bacescu (Romania) Malassezia (Pityrosporum) infections correlated with other pathologies in dogs
10 min OP21 Mirchevska Gordana (North Macedonia) Microbiological aspects of fungal endocarditis
10 min OP28 Sidiropoulou A (Greece) Rhino-cerebral mucormycosis due to Rhizopus arrhizus in a young patient suffering from type I diabetes mellitus
10 min OP25 Petrović Graovac Danijela (Serbia) Exceptional finding by a bioinformatics approach: Cladosporium species (novum) identified as a cause of invasive pulmonary infection in an immunocompromised patient
10 min OP23 Maria Obreja (Romania) The importance of multidisciplinary team in the management of mucormicosis a case presentation
Q&A

Lunch break 13:40 – 15:00

15:00 – 16:00 e-POSTER SESSION
Chairs: Vladimir Gerginić (Serbia) and Marina Ranđelović (Serbia)
16:00 – 17:00 Roundtable The diagnostic capacity and current state of antifungal treatment across Balkan – the possibilities of regional collaboration
17:00 – 17:30 BALKAN FUNGUS 2026 Meeting of representatives of Balkans Societies
18:00 Closing Ceremony and Kalmegdan tour

Invited Speakers: PL – Plenary Lecture; EL – Expert Lecture; KL – Keynote Lecture; OP – Oral Abstract Presentation; P – Poster

Lunch break 13:40 – 15:00

15:00 – 16:00 e-POSTER SESSION
Chairs: Vladimir Gerginic (Serbia) and Maja Travar (BiH)
P01 Olga Apostolou (Cyprus) Case report: Lichtheimia ramosa infection in an ICU patient
P05 Natasa Colovic (Serbia) Mucormycosis in neutropenic phase of acute leukemia
P06 Ida Curtovic (Croatia) Clinical and cornborne Fusarium fujikuroi species complex biodiversity and antifungal resistance
P13 Marija Ivanov (Serbia) Impact of common food sweeteners on virulence and resistance of Candida albicans
P14 Sofia Khostelidi (Russia) Mucormycosis in immunocompromized patients
P15 Sofia Khostelidi (Russia) Invasive fungal infections after solid organ transplantation
P16 Sofia Khostelidi (Russia) Severe fungal infections caused by rare pathogens during the covid-19 pandemic
P19 Vivian Mantzana (Greece) Candida auris in a tertiary-care hospital in Northern Greece: an approach to the epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility
P34 Georgia Vrioni (Greece) A nationwide survey by the Hellenic Society of Medical Mycology on the current management of Invasive Fungal Infections in Adult Patients in Greece
P35 Georgia Vrioni (Greece) Comparison of Platelia Aspergillus Ag and Aspergillus galactomannan Ag virclia mono test for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis
P36 Georgia Vrioni (Greece) The current state of mycological diagnostic capability in Greece: a nationwide survey by the Hellenic Society of Medical Mycology
P38 Georgia Vrioni (Greece) Epidemiological study of tinea capitis and tinea corporis in Athens, Greece: a four-year retrospective analysis (2020-2024)
P42 Nemanja Radovanovic (Serbia) Multidrug-resistant Candida parapsilosis in a Patient After Elective Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
P45 Slavica Dacic (Serabia) Tinea pedis caused by Epidermophyton floccosum: a case report
P47 Monika Dudic (Serbia) A new method for preservation of fungal morphology in microscopic slide preparation
P51 Maja Mitrovic (Serbia) Onychomycosis in children: a case report
P61 Canche Vera (Mexico) Hemolytic activity and antiinflamatory effects of Geasrum triplex
P67 Nadezda Djuricic (Serbia) Candida infections in pregnancy: systematic review of the literature and single center data from Serbia
P68 Zlatian Ovidiua (Romania) Candida auris: an emerging pathogen in the critical patient
P08 Mihnea Florescu (Romania) Candida auris – an emergig pathogen in burn-injured patients
P75 Katsiari Maria (Greece) Risk factors and mortality caused by Candida auris bloodstream infections in critically ill patients compared with other candidemias
P77 Sumlu Esra (Turkey) Rosmarinic acid exhibits antifungal and antibiofilm activities against Candida species: insights into gene expression and morphological changes
P78 Marko Arsenijevic (Serbia) Using MALDI TOF MS for identification of dermatophyte and non-dermatophyte molds: single center experience
P79 Anastasija Roganovic (Serbia) The clinical features of onychomycosis: new tools for risk investigation and sampling
P80 Nikola Stojanovic (Serbia) Tertiary care centers Candida bloodstream infections in Serbia. FungalCaseFinder perspective to reduce mortality rate
P81 Valentina Arsic Arsenijevic (Serbia) Invasive fusariosis in pediatric patients: ten years survey by the Serbian Society of Medical Mycology

Invited Speakers: PL – Plenary Lecture; EL – Expert Lecture; KL – Keynote Lecture; OP – Oral Abstract Presentation; P – Poster