Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Hospital Acquired Infections through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Real-Word Data from a Tertiary Urological Centre

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 12; no. 23; p. 7278
• Main Authors: Gavi, Filippo, Fiori, Barbara, Gandi, Carlo, Campetella, Marco, Bientinesi, Riccardo, Marino, Filippo, Fettucciari, Daniele, Rossi, Francesco, Moretto, Stefano, Murri, Rita, Pierconti, Francesco, Racioppi, Marco, Sacco, Emilio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.11.2023
• Subjects: antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; Causes of; Clinical medicine; COVID-19; Cross infection; Drug resistance; Drug resistance in microorganisms; Drug therapy; Forecasts and trends; Nosocomial infections; Staphylococcus infections; Statistics; Trends; urinary tract infection; Urinary tract infections; Italy; antimicrobial stewardship; antibiotic resistance; urinary tract infection
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm12237278

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a significant public health concern, closely linked to antibiotic overuse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, broad-spectrum antibiotics were frequently administered, potentially exacerbating AMR. This study aimed to assess AMR patterns in our urology department before and after the pandemic. The study encompassed patients admitted to our urology department from January 2016 to December 2022, with confirmed urinary tract infection, bloodstream infection, or wound infection based on positive culture results. Descriptive statistics, including mean, frequency, and percentage, summarized the data. Trends were analyzed using the Joinpoint Regression program. A total of 506 patients were included. and displayed resistance rates of 65% and 62% to ciprofloxacin, respectively. showed resistance rates of 41% to piperacillin tazobactam and 3rd generation cephalosporins (3GC). Carbapenem resistance was observed in 38% of isolates. Additionally, 26% of , 26% of , and 59% of isolates were ESBL-positive. Among gram+, 72% of isolates were , and 23% of isolates were . Trends in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns over the 7-year study period revealed a statistically significant decrease in resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (APC: -5.85; C.I. 95% < 0.05) and a statistically significant increase in resistance to 3GC (APC: 9.93; CI (-19.9-14.4 95% < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in AMR incidence pre- and post-COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic did not appear to influence the AMR incidence in our urology department. However, the overall prevalence of AMR and MDROs in our department remains high compared to European AMR.