Assessment of antibiotic resistance changes during the Covid-19 pandemic in northeast of Iran during 2020–2022: an epidemiological study

Abstract

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 seems to change antibiotic resistance pattern. Certain conditions in the Covid-19 era may be contributing to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Due to the limited information on the impact of Covid-19 on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the purpose of this research was to investigate the trend in antimicrobial resistance changes of E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and A. baumannii in Hasheminezhad hospital. This hospital was a Corona center in Mashhad at the onset of this epidemic. Methods 1672 clinical samples were collected between January 21, 2020 and January 30, 2022from patients hospitalized at Hasheminezhad Hospital in Mashhad, Conventional microbiological procedures for identifying gram-negative bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility testing were used, according to the clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) 2021. The two years of the pandemic, from the initial stage of the outbreak until the 6th peak, (January 2020 to and January 2022) were divided into 9 periods according to the seasons. Results Highest resistance rates were seen in E. coli (615 samples), K. pneumoniae (351 samples), P. aeruginosa (362 samples) and A. baumannii (344 samples) to Ampicillin (89.6%), Ampicillin (98%), Imipenem (91.8%), and Ceftazidime (94.6%), respectively. The largest change in antibiotic resistance was seen between Summer 2020 and Summer 2021 for K. pneumoniae with about a 30% rise in antibiotic resistance to Ceftriaxone. Conclusions All 4 species evaluated in this study, have shown rising AMR rates during the first year of the pandemic in the northeast of Iran. This study revealed that E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and A. baumannii strains in Northern Iran have a higher level of antibiotic resistance than what was measured in similar studies conducted before the pandemic. This will further restrict treatment choices and jeopardize global public health.

Evaluation of antibiotics resistance in Southern Iran in light of COVID‐19 pandemic: A retrospective observational study

“…A recent study in Northeast Iran focusing on E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia , and A. baumannii strains showed a significant rise in resistance rate during 2020–2022. For instance, a 30% increase in K. pneumonia to cefotaxime is reported 21 . Gram‐negative bacteria, specifically K. pneumoniae , are one of the main reasons for VAP in the intensive care units (ICU) 22 .…”

“…pneumonia to cefotaxime is reported. 21 Gram-negative bacteria, specifically K. pneumoniae, are one of the main reasons for VAP in the intensive care units (ICU). 22 On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic had overwhelmed ICU admission due to respiratory failure.…”

Synthesis of antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive compounds based on the quinoline-hydrazone and benzimidazole structure

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the main contributors to considerable antibiotic resistance in clinical settings is Gram-negative bacteria. [ 1 ] In 2019, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the pathogens that caused 3.57 million deaths related to AMR and 929.000 deaths attributed to AMR. [ 2 ] Various treatments have been developed to overcome the bacterial resistance problem, such as creating molecules with new modes of action that avoiding any potential cross-resistance with existing treatments.…”

Structure-based Search for novel c-di-AMP Synthase Inhibiting Fragments

“…This number is expected to rise to 10 million in 2050 if there will be no major paradigm shift in the usage and development of new strategies to reduce or prohibit the development of antimicrobial resistance (WHO, 2019). Unfortunately, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, efforts gained to push back rising antibiotic resistance were nullified by improper and self-dosage of antibiotics (Khoshbakht et al, 2022). Hence, there is an urgent need in the development of new antibiotics to gain the upper hand in the fight against multi-resistant bacteria.…”