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Multicenter Study
. 2021 Oct:111:31-36.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.07.065. Epub 2021 Aug 18.

Bloodstream infections in the COVID-19 era: results from an Italian multi-centre study

Zeno Pasquini  1 , Iacopo Barocci  2 , Lucia Brescini  2 , Bianca Candelaresi  2 , Sefora Castelletti  3 , Valentina Iencinella  2 , Sara Mazzanti  2 , Gaia Procaccini  2 , Elena Orsetti  4 , Francesco Pallotta  2 , Giorgio Amadio  4 , Andrea Giacometti  2 , Marcello Tavio  3 , Francesco Barchiesi  5
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Bloodstream infections in the COVID-19 era: results from an Italian multi-centre study

Zeno Pasquini et al. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Correlation between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and superinfections has been investigated, but remains to be fully assessed. This multi-centre study reports the impact of the pandemic on bloodstream infections (BSIs).

Methods: This study included all patients with BSIs admitted to four Italian hospitals between 1 January and 30 June 2020. Clinical, demographic and microbiologic data were compared with data for patients hospitalized during the same period in 2019.

Results: Among 26,012 patients admitted between 1 January and 30 June 2020, 1182 had COVID-19. Among the patients with COVID-19, 107 BSIs were observed, with an incidence rate of 8.19 episodes per 1000 patient-days. The incidence of BSI was significantly higher in these patients compared with patients without COVID-19 (2.72/1000 patient-days) and patients admitted in 2019 (2.76/1000 patient-days). In comparison with patients without COVID-19, BSI onset in patients with COVID-19 was delayed during the course of hospitalization (16.0 vs 5 days, respectively). Thirty-day mortality among patients with COVID-19 was 40.2%, which was significantly higher compared with patients without COVID-19 (23.7%). BSIs in patients with COVID-19 were frequently caused by multi-drug-resistant pathogens, which were often centre-dependent.

Conclusions: BSIs are a common secondary infection in patients with COVID-19, characterized by increased risk during hospitalization and potentially burdened with high mortality.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hospital acquired infection; Multi drug resistant; SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; bloodstream infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time to bloodstream infection (BSI) in hospitalized patients with and without coronavirus disease 2019. Patients who were discharged or who died before 30 days were censored (log rank P<0.001). COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in incidence of pathogens isolated from bloodstream infections of patients with coronavirus disease in 2020 compared with 2019 in the three study centres.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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