Epidemiology of Gram-negative bacteria during coronavirus disease 2019. What is the real pandemic?

Purpose of review Bacterial infections play a key role in hospital outcomes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Nonetheless, the global impact on the epidemiology of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and antibiotic resistance has not been clearly established. Recent findings Multiple limitations exist in the current literature, in that substantial variability was observed with regard to methodology. Notwithstanding the heterogeneity, the evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial negative impact on global epidemiology with an increase in hospital-onset infections, associated with GNB. Similarly, an alarming increase in resistant GNB compared to prepandemic rates, was apparent. This was most evident for carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (bloodstream infections), carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ventilator-associated pneumonia), and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (all infections). Significant variations were most apparent in the large, system-wide regional or national comparative assessments, vs. single-centre studies. Categorizing concurrent bacteria as co- or secondary-infections may be paramount to optimize standard of care. Summary The data from most studies signal the probability that COVID-19 accelerated resistance. However, multiple limitations intrinsic to interpretation of current COVID-19 data, prevents accurately quantifying collateral damage on the global epidemiology and ant...
Source: Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: GRAM-NEGATIVE INFECTIONS: Edited by Matteo Bassetti Source Type: research