291. Epidemiology of Candidemia Rates during COVID-19 and Comparison of Outcomes in Candidemia Between COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Background Fungemia is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality and increase in length of hospital stay. Several studies have recognized increased rates of candidemia since the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary healthcare system in Detroit, Michigan to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence of candidemia. The “pre COVID-19” timeframe was defined as January – May 2019 while the “during COVID-19” timeframe was January – May 2020. To compare incidence and patient characteristics between cohorts, t-tests and chi-square analysis was used. Additional sub-analysis was performed in candidemia patients during COVID-19 timeframe comparing outcomes of patients based on COVID-19 status. A Fisher Exact and Satterthwaite Test were used for analysis of categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Results Overall, 46 cases of candidemia were identified in both the pre COVID-19 and during COVID-19 periods. Pre COVID-19, the average number of cases was 3.0 ± 1.2 per month. The incidence more than doubled during COVID-19 to 6.2 ± 4.2 cases per month (p = 0.14) (Figure 1). No significant differences in patient demographics were detected between cohorts, however, patients in the COVID-19 cohort had higher rates of corticosteroid use, mechanical ventilation and vasopressors (Table 1). In the 2020 period, 31 patients developed candidemia and 12 (38.7%) patients tested SARS-CoV-2 positive. On average, COVID-19 patients developed candidemia 12.1 days from admission, compared to 17.8 days in the COVID-19 negative cohort (p = 0.340). Additionally, COVID-19 patients with candidemia coinfection were significantly more likely to expire; 83.3% (n=10) COVID-19 patients expired compared to 36.8 (n=7) in the COVID-19 negative cohort (p = 0.025) (Table 2). Figure 1. Incidence of Candidemia in the Pre-COVID-19 (January 2019 – May 2019) and During COVID-19 (January 2020-May 2020) periods Table 1. Characteristics of Candidemia patients in the pre-COVID (January 2019-May 2019) and during-COVID periods (January 2020-May 2020) Table 2. Characteristics of Candidemia patients in the SARS-COV-2 negative and SARS-COV-2 positive cohorts from January 2020-May 2020 Conclusion The prevalence of fungemia markedly increased during the COVID-19 surge. Increased use of corticosteroids and broad spectrum antimicrobials, prolonged use of central venous catheters and prolonged ICU length of stay likely contributed to this increase. Patients who developed candidemia co-infection with COVID-19 were found to have poorer outcomes as compared to those who were SARS-CoV-2 negative or untested. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Understanding clinical outcomes and factors influencing mortality in intensive care unit patients with COVID‐19‐associated candidemia

“…4 Furthermore, there are reports suggesting that the use of immunomodulators (such as tocilizumab) and corticosteroid drugs in the treatment of COVID can potentially heighten the risk of fungal infection. 5,6 Candidemia, which exhibited a high mortality rate ranging from 30% to 60% in clinical studies conducted before the COVID pandemic, [7][8][9] as garnered renewed attention in the context of COVID.…”

“…It is well established that the risk of bacterial or fungal infection is elevated in patients receiving intensive care, particularly those who require mechanical ventilation or other invasive medical devices 4 . Furthermore, there are reports suggesting that the use of immunomodulators (such as tocilizumab) and corticosteroid drugs in the treatment of COVID can potentially heighten the risk of fungal infection 5,6 …”