Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Remote Laboratory Management: Respiratory Virus Diagnostics
14:56

Remote Laboratory Management: Respiratory Virus Diagnostics

Published on: April 6, 2019

33.1K

Early empiric antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients: results from the international VIRUS registry

Uluhan Sili1, Aysun Tekin2, Huseyin Bilgin1

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Türkiye.

International Journal of Infectious Diseases : IJID : Official Publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
|December 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Early empiric antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients decreased over time, suggesting improved antimicrobial stewardship. This trend highlights global antimicrobial stewardship goals for the post-COVID-19 era.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • COVID-19 pandemic led to increased and often inappropriate antibiotic use.
  • Understanding co-infections and early empiric antibiotic treatment patterns is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine pathogens causing community-acquired co-infections in COVID-19 patients.
  • To analyze the rate and predictors of early empiric antibiotic (EEAB) use in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 7830 patients from the Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery VIRUS COVID-19 Registry (Jan 2020-Oct 2021).
  • Investigated antibiotic treatment within 3 days of hospitalization.
  • Utilized univariate and multivariate analyses to identify factors associated with EEAB use.

Main Results:

  • 79.4% of patients received EEAB, most commonly azithromycin combinations.
  • EEAB use decreased significantly as the pandemic progressed (84.4% to 65.2%).
  • Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen; beta-lactams (ceftriaxone) were frequently used. Geographical location and pandemic timeline predicted EEAB use.

Conclusions:

  • EEAB administration declined during the pandemic, likely due to enhanced antimicrobial stewardship.
  • Findings offer global targets for antimicrobial stewardship programs in the post-COVID-19 period.
Abstract

Keywords:
Antibiotic resistanceAntimicrobial stewardshipBacterial co-infectionCOVID-19Empiric antibiotic treatmentPandemic

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses03:53

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses

Published on: November 10, 2023

1.2K
Author Spotlight: Advancing Pathogen Detection and Disease Assessment in Real-Time Using M-ROSE03:22

Author Spotlight: Advancing Pathogen Detection and Disease Assessment in Real-Time Using M-ROSE

Published on: March 1, 2024

454

Related Concept Videos

Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
Urinary Tract Infection III: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care01:30

Urinary Tract Infection III: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care

A healthcare provider can diagnose a urinary tract infection (UTI) through several methods:Medical History and Symptoms: The provider will take a detailed medical history and ask about symptoms such as frequent urination, burning sensation during urination, and lower abdominal pain.Urinalysis: A clean-catch urine sample is collected in a sterile container and tested for the presence of bacteria, white blood cells (leukocytes), nitrites, blood, and protein. The presence of leukocytes and...
Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management01:28

Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management

Introduction:For diagnosing acute pyelonephritis, a comprehensive patient history is collected to identify symptoms such as dysuria, frequent or urgent urination, flank pain, or costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness that may suggest a kidney infection.Physical ExaminationDuring the physical examination, CVA tenderness is assessed. This involves gentle percussion over the costovertebral angle, where tenderness often indicates a kidney infection.Diagnostic TestsUrinalysis: Used to identify white...
Antimicrobial Effectiveness01:28

Antimicrobial Effectiveness

The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...
Rapid Identification of Pathogens01:25

Rapid Identification of Pathogens

MALDI-TOF MS has transformed clinical microbiology by offering a rapid and reliable method for pathogen identification. The traditional approach to microbial identification typically involves time-consuming culture techniques and biochemical tests, which can delay the initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. MALDI-TOF MS avoids these delays by using characteristic ribosomal protein mass patterns of microbial cells, enabling accurate species-level identification within minutes.Principle...
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance01:25

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within the One...