ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients need hospitalization which increases their risk of acquiring secondary bacterial and fungal infections. The practice of empiric antimicrobial prescription, due to limited diagnostic capabilities of many hospitals, has the potential to escalate an already worrisome antimicrobial resistance (AMR) situation in India. This study reports the prevalence and profiles of secondary infections (SIs) and clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in India. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of secondary infections in patients admitted in intensive care units (ICUs) and wards of ten hospitals of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) AMR surveillance network, between June and August 2020, was undertaken. The demographic data, time of infection after admission, microbiological and antimicrobial resistance data of secondary infections, and clinical outcome data of the admitted COVID-19 patients were collated. RESULTS: Out of 17,534 admitted patients, 3.6% of patients developed secondary bacterial or fungal infections. The mortality among patients who developed secondary infections was 56.7% against an overall mortality of 10.6% in total admitted COVID-19 patients. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from 78% of patients. Klebsiella pneumoniae (29%) was the predominant pathogen, followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (21%). Thirty-five percent of patients reported polymicrobial infections, including fungal infections. High levels of carbapenem resistance was seen in A. baumannii (92.6%) followed by K. pneumoniae (72.8%). CONCLUSION: Predominance of Gram-negative pathogens in COVID-19 patients coupled with high rates of resistance to higher generation antimicrobials is an alarming finding. A high rate of mortality in patients with secondary infections warrants extra caution to improve the infection control practices and practice of antimicrobial stewardship interventions not only to save patient lives but also prevent selection of drug-resistant infections, to which the current situation is very conducive.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the most common illnesses affecting people of all ages worldwide. Viruses contribute to 30-70% of acute respiratory infections. Identification of these respiratory viruses is not given high priority except influenza; however, the knowledge about prevalence of non-influenza viruses, their seasonal pattern and genetic evolution have significant epidemiological value. METHODS: As a part of National Influenza-like illness surveillance programme, respiratory specimens were collected children and adults with symptoms of ILI or ARI, between January 2012 and March 2015 (including SARI cases). Real-time PCR was done to identify 13 respiratory viruses. Sequencing was done for representative isolates of each virus using ABI 3730 Genetic Analyzer. RESULTS: During the study period between January 2012 and March 2015, a total of 648 patients with symptoms of ARI were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 20.2 years (SD = 19.13, median = 18); 292 (45.1%) were children (≤13 years) and 356 (54.9%) were adults. Respiratory viruses were identified in 44% (287/648) of all patients. Influenza accounted for the maximum number of cases- 179/648 (27.6%). Among the non-influenza viruses, RSV predominated with 34 cases (5.2%), followed by HMPV 24 (3.7%) and PIV-3 20 (3%). Four patients died due to INF A/H1N1 (2012-2, 2015-2) as a result of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (CFR 3.7%). Among the non-influenza viruses, no particular seasonality pattern was observed over the different months of the study period. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic usage in treating acute respiratory infections empirically is not justified as nearly half of ARI are due to viruses; nearly 28% of them were due to influenza viruses. Among the non-influenza viruses, RSV predominated, followed by HMPV. This study is based on an active influenza surveillance initiated after 2009 pandemic influenza outbreak, in the Union territory of Puducherry which has contributed significantly to the knowledge of the burden of influenza and non-influenza viruses among children and adults. Such surveillance network has paved the way for better diagnosis and timely therapeutic interventions.