Increase in Community Acquired S. aureus Bloodstream Infection Associated with the Sars-Cov-2 Public Health Emergency

Aim In March 2020, a public health emergency related to COVID-19 was declared in Ireland, resulting in certain healthcare restrictions. We hypothesised, in the microbiology laboratory in Galway University Hospital (GUH), that the national lockdown would impact results from our blood culture service. Methods A surveillance review of all blood cultures received in the microbiology laboratory in GUH for the six-month period March-August 2020 was performed and compared to the same time-period for the preceding four years. Patient demographics and blood culture isolates were collected and reviewed. Results From March to August 2020, 5,753 blood culture sets were tested, of which 6.1% (n=351) were positive; a lower positivity rate than in previous years. In 2020, 46 S. aureus isolates were detected in blood cultures (representing 13.1% of all 351 positive blood cultures), which was significantly higher than 2016-2019. Conclusion The higher number of reported S. aureus bloodstream infections in the SARS-CoV-2-era was unexpected.