Antibiotic resistance associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Clinical Microbiology and Infection·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.12.006
- PMID
- 36509377
- PMCID
- PMC9733301
- OpenAlex
- W4311908261
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Monitoring pathogen adaptation during large-scale viral emergencies underscores the necessity of robust clinical oversight mechanisms. Maintaining rigorous hygiene protocols and drug management frameworks appears critical for containing resistant bacterial spread.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The authors sought to characterize how the coronavirus outbreak influenced bacterial resistance patterns within medical environments.
Study design
Researchers conducted a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of literature indexed through early 2022.
Population and setting
The pooled data primarily originated from inpatient wards and acute care facilities.
Main findings
Statistical pooling revealed stable rates for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci throughout the crisis period. Resistant Gram-negative pathogens showed a non-significant upward trajectory, while facilities lacking documented infection control or antibiotic management initiatives demonstrated higher resistance proportions. Wide variability in reporting standards and metric definitions complicated cross-study comparisons.
Public-health relevance
Monitoring pathogen adaptation during large-scale viral emergencies underscores the necessity of robust clinical oversight mechanisms. Maintaining rigorous hygiene protocols and drug management frameworks appears critical for containing resistant bacterial spread.
Important limitations
Marked inconsistency in how resistance levels were quantified and documented across the reviewed papers reduces analytical precision. The heavy concentration of hospital-based reports may limit extrapolation to outpatient or community environments.
GIDS interpretation
This work functions as a retrospective synthesis of historical resistance trends tied to a recent global health emergency. Its methodological framework serves as an archival reference for tracking past epidemiological patterns rather than indicating active monitoring capacity.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 12 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.