Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Pathogens Isolated from Pediatric Patients during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 10; p. 966
• Main Authors: Golli, Andreea-Loredana, Popa, Simona Georgiana, Cara, Monica Laura, Stoica, George-Alin, Fortofoiu, Dragos, Stoica, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 13.10.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Acinetobacter; Antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial resistance; Bacteria; Bacteria, Pathogenic; Carbapenems; Causes of; Children; Coagulase; Communicable diseases in children; COVID-19; Drug resistance; Drug resistance in microorganisms; E coli; Epidemics; Escherichia coli; Forecasts and trends; Gram-negative bacteria; Health aspects; Identification and classification; Imipenem; Infection; Klebsiella; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Methicillin; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; pandemic; Pandemics; Pathogenic microorganisms; Pathogens; Patients; Pediatric intensive care; Pediatric intensive care units; Pediatrics; Public health; Risk factors; Romania; Samples; Staphylococcus infections; Statistical analysis; Statistics; Strains (organisms); Tetracycline; Tetracyclines; Romania; Europe; COVID-19; pathogens; pandemic; antimicrobial resistance; children
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13100966

: The present study aims to highlight the possible significant changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the resistance of pathogens involved in cases of pediatric infections. : This study included children hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Surgery and Pediatrics from a tertiary teaching hospital, during and after the COVID-19 period (2020-2023). : The research included 845 samples collected during 2020-2023, from 685 pediatric patients. A total of 937 bacterial isolates were obtained, of which 509 isolates (54.32%) were Gram-negative bacteria. Around 30% of all the pathogens were multidrug-resistant (MDR), with a statistically significant increase post-pandemic, in the case of the MDR strains ( < 0.05). A very high percentage of MDR spp. isolates was found, with an important, but not statistically significant, increase in the post-pandemic period. The highest percentage of the MDR Gram-positive pathogens was registered in the case of strains (31.80%). Over 20% of the strains isolated between 2020 and 2023 were MDR, with an important increase in the post-COVID-19 period. The proportion of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens significantly decreased in the post-COVID-19 period compared with the COVID-19 period ( < 0.05), especially in the case of the spp. strains. : Our findings revealed the increase in the post-COVID-19 period of the prevalence of MDR strains of spp., , and isolated in pediatric patient samples and a significant decline in the trend of the carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, which may be due to the testing rate and to the specific pathology of the pediatric patients hospitalized in the two periods.