Pulmonary bacterial co-infections and antibiotical resistance in SARS-COV-2: the dark coalescence of post-COVID-19 world

Abstract

Background. A third wave of COVID-19 infection is now sweeping across the globe. Severe injury of the epithelial barrier, caused by the action of respiratory viruses (including coronaviruses), facilitates the invasion of the respiratory tract with other germs, like viruses, fungy or bscteria. Methods. 92 inpatients with COVID-19 pneumonia and 68 inpatients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) non COVID-19 were enrolled in our study. For microbiological assessment sputum samples were collected. Statistical analysis performed using the x2 test (Statistica software, version 7.0). Results. From the 92 COVID-19 patients 64 (69,2%) were dignosed with secondary nosocomial bacterial infection (SNBI). Overall ESKAPE agents, like K.pneumoniae, E.faecium, Acinetobacter spp. and Ps.aeruginosa were highly detected in SARS- CoV-2 group — 85,7%. in opposed to non COVID-19 group, bacterial agents isolated from the patients with SARS-CoV-2 SNBI manifested higher rate of antibiotical panresistance (p < 0,05). Conclusions. The study showed some etiological and antibiotic resistance differences of COVID-19 SNBI, compared to non SARS-CoV-2 NP and a higher rate of antibiotical panresistance in COVID-19 group. Thus, the empirical treatment in bacterial co-infections in SARS-CoV-2 patients requires proven argumentation and adjustment to antibiotic resistance data in each case separately