The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on nosocomial multidrug-resistant

Abstract

We investigated the change in the epidemiology of nosocomial blood-stream infections (BSIs) caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria during Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and antibiotic consumption rates at a pandemic hospital and at the Oncology Hospital which operated as COVID-19-free on the same university campus. Significant increases in the infection density rate (IDRs) of BSIs caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (ARE) were detected at the pandemic hospital, whereas car-bapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae BSIs were increased at the non-pandemic Oncology Hospital. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis showed a polyclonal outbreak of CRAB in COVID-19 intensive care units. Antibiotic consumption rates were increased for almost all antibiotics, and was most significant for meropenem at both of the hospitals. In-creased IDRs of CRAB and ARE BSIs as well as an increased consump-tion rate of broad-spectrum antibiotics emphasize the importance of a multimodal infection prevention strategy combined with an active anti-biotic stewardship program.

C1 [Metan, Gokhan; Dizman, Gulcin Telli; Tas, Zahit; Zarakolu, Pinar; Unal, Serhat; Uzun, Omrum] Hacettepe Univ, Dept Infect Dis & Clin Microbiol, Fac Med, Hastaliklari Binasi Kat 1, Ankara, Turkey.

[Metan, Gokhan; Dizman, Gulcin Telli; Unal, Serhat] Hacettepe Univ Hosp, Infect Control Comm, Ankara, Turkey.

[Cuha, Mervenur Demir; Hazirolan, Gulsen] Hacettepe Univ, Dept Med Microbiol, Fac Med, Ankara, Turkey.

[Tanriverdi, Elif Seren; Otlu, Baris] Inonu Univ, Dept Med Microbiol, Fac Med, Malatya, Turkey.

[Arik, Zafer] Hacettepe Univ, Dept Internal Med, Div Med Oncol, Fac Med, Ankara, Turkey.

[Topeli, Arzu] Hacettepe Univ, Sect Intens Care Med, Dept Internal Med, Fac Med, Ankara, Turkey.

[Akinci, Seda Banu] Hacettepe Univ, Sect Intens Care Med, Fac Med, Dept Anesthesiol & Reanimat, Ankara, Turkey.