The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the burgeoning issue of superbugs – bacteria that exhibit resistance to antibiotic treatment – according to data from the US and around the globe. Unveiled at the 2024 Global European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference in two separate studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), these findings suggest an alarming increase in superbug occurrence, primarily driven by excessive antibiotic use.
The trend of hospital-acquired infections continues to persist at higher levels than those observed pre-pandemic, with the notable upswing of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections in US hospitals. Christina Yek, MD, chief author of the NIH study, expressed concerns over the sustained high rates of hospital-acquired antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections in US healthcare settings. She urged for amplified efforts to safeguard the public, particularly from formidable hospital-acquired gram-negative infections.
The WHO report, based on data from approximately 450,000 individuals across 65 countries from January 2020 to March 2023, uncovered that around 8% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had a concurrent bacterial infection requiring antibiotic treatment. Conversely, a striking 75% of patients were administered antibiotics as a protective measure, despite no obvious bacterial infection. Among critically ill COVID-19 patients, this figure rose to 81%. The study warns that unwarranted antibiotic use may have inadvertently resulted in unfavorable outcomes for COVID-19 patients without bacterial infections. Silvia Bertagnolio, the WHO study’s author, underscored the need for judicious antibiotic use to curb unnecessary patient risks and the alarming rise of AMR.
The NIH study consolidated data from 120 hospitals from January 2018 to December 2022, inspecting adult hospitalizations for six pathogenic infections. During the pandemic, the rate of AMR infections ascended by 6.3%, with hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections increasing by 32% and 1.4%, respectively. The most significant surge was seen in hospital-acquired infections resistant to carbapenems – ‘last resort’ antibiotics for severe infections. The NIH study revealed a strong correlation between hospitals experiencing large influxes of critically ill COVID-19 patients and the increase in hospital-acquired AMR infections. Interestingly, this parallels the WHO’s finding of excessive antibiotic use among severely ill patients. Yek hypothesized that the overloading of hospitals during the pandemic led to both a surge in antibiotic use and difficulties abiding by infection control and prevention protocols.
A recent series of papers in The Lancet linked nearly 5 million worldwide deaths per year to AMR infections, underscoring the dire need for access to affordable, effective antibiotics and robust infection prevention and control initiatives. The papers recommend preventative measures such as vaccination against AMR and other pathogens that elevate antibiotic demand.
In conclusion, accurate diagnosis is key to guide precise antibiotic use, which often mitigates the risks associated with side effects or AMR. Therefore, healthcare professionals must remain diligent in their efforts to reduce antibiotic overuse, thereby curbing the rise of superbugs.
Source: https://www.mdlinx.com/article/hospitals-are-grappling-with-deadly-super-bugs/6WAHCe0rmyXdzB0aJWTiRo