A meta-analysis of 173 research involving almost 900,000 COVID-19 sufferers in additional than 50 nations finds that 42.9% had been contaminated with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), which the authors say underscores the pressing want for stronger antimicrobial stewardship methods.
The research, led by Solar Yat-sen College researchers in China, was printed within the Journal of An infection.
The investigators systematically reviewed research printed from December 2019 to Could 2023 on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic use amongst COVID-19 sufferers.
Antibiotic resistance was categorized based on the World Well being Group (WHO) precedence record, and antibiotics had been labeled based on the WHO’s Entry, Watch, or Reserve (AWaRe) system.
76% of sufferers had been prescribed antibiotics
Of the 892,312 sufferers, 42.9% had an MDRO an infection, with 41.0% testing constructive for carbapenem-resistant pathogens, 19.9% for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 24.9% for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms, and 22.9% for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) species.
These findings function an important warning to policymakers, highlighting the pressing want to boost antimicrobial stewardship methods to mitigate the dangers related to future pandemics.”
A complete of 76.2% of sufferers had been prescribed antibiotics, 29.6% with Watch antibiotics, 22.4% with Reserve antibiotics, and 16.5% with Entry medication.
Macrolides had been essentially the most generally prescribed class of antibiotics (34.7%), adopted by glycopeptides (33.1%) and third-generation cephalosporins (31.5%). Essentially the most generally used antibiotics had been azithromycin (46.2%), ceftriaxone (38.3%), and vancomycin (34.7%).
MDRO prevalence and antibiotic use had been considerably larger in low- and middle-income nations than in wealthier nations, with the bottom proportion of antibiotic use (60.1%) and MDRO prevalence (29.1%) in North America. The best MDRO prevalence was within the Center East and Africa (63.9%), and the best proportion of antibiotic use was in South Asia (92.7%). Antibiotic use and intensive care unit admission had been important predictors of upper MDRO prevalence.
The outcomes underscore “the formidable problem dealing with international efforts to forestall and management AMR amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers wrote. “These findings function an important warning to policymakers, highlighting the pressing want to boost antimicrobial stewardship methods to mitigate the dangers related to future pandemics.”
