Early Candida colonisation impact on patients and healthcare professionals in an intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: Candida spp. is an opportunistic pathogen that causes superficial and invasive infections with nosocomial outbreaks without strict hygiene protocols. Herein, we assessed oral colonisation by Candida spp. in 209 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients between July 2021 and April 2022, conducting clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological characterisation of those developing oral or invasive candidiasis. METHODS: Initial oral swabs were collected within 24 h of admission in the ICU, followed by collections on Days 2, 4, 6 and 8. Swabs from denture-wearing patients, abiotic surfaces, healthcare professionals' hands, and retroauricular regions were also obtained. Recovered yeasts and filamentous fungi were identified using MALDI-TOF MS and morphological characteristics, respectively. Genetic similarity of Candida spp. isolates was evaluated using Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and the antifungal susceptibility profile was determined by broth microdilution. RESULTS: In the study, 64.11% of patients were orally colonised by Candida spp. Of these, 80.59% were colonised within the first 24 h. Oral colonisation also occurred on subsequent days: 50%/Day 2, 26.92%/Day 4, and 11.53%/Days 6 and 8. Of the patients, 8.61% had oral candidiasis, mainly pseudomembranous. Among orally colonised patients, 2.23% developed invasive candidiasis. Besides, 89.47% of healthcare professionals evaluated were colonised. MALDI-TOF MS identified different yeast species, and C. albicans (45.34%), C. tropicalis (15.7%), and C. parapsilosis sensu stricto (9.88%) were the most prevalent. AFLP analysis indicated a high genetic correlation (≥97%) between C. parapsilosis sensu stricto isolates from patients and professionals. Three resistant C. albicans isolates were also found. CONCLUSION: This study reported a diversity of yeast and filamentous fungi species in ICU patients and highlighted early Candida spp. colonisation risks for invasive candidiasis, as well as the potential horizontal transmission in the nosocomial setting, emphasising the need for effective infection control measures.

Prevalence of bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance profile in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 / Prevalência de infecções bacterianas e perfil de resistência aos antimicrobianos em pacientes internados com COVID-19 / Prevalencia de infecciones bacterianas y perfil de resistencia antimicrobiana en pacientes hospitalizados con COVID-19

Background and Objectives: bacterial resistance is an important public health problem worldwide and is related to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, limiting the available therapeutic options. The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated this scenario, since the lack of a standardized therapy led to a considerable increase in the prescription of these drugs. Therefore, we proposed to investigate the prevalence of bacterial infections and the profile of antimicrobial resistance in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 as well as to point out possible risk factors. Methods: a retrospective study based on the analysis of medical records of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 over the age of 18. Information such as age, gender, length of stay, hospitalization unit, bacterial species and resistance profile and previous use of antimicrobials by patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were collected and analyzed using Excel® 2016. Results: of the 268 patients with COVID-19, 162 had suspected bacterial infections, and 26 patients (9.7%) were confirmed from positive cultures. Furthermore, around 80% of these patients underwent empirical treatment with antimicrobials, the majority of whom were male and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. A total of 32 bacterial isolates were recovered, of which 59.4% were resistant to at least one class of antimicrobials, with 21.8% being multidrug resistant. Conclusion: despite the low percentage found of patients with COVID-19 who had bacterial infections and of these 21.8% were by multidrug-resistant bacteria, the reinforcement in infection prevention policies and the adequate management in the release of antimicrobials is necessary to reduce the hospital dissemination rates of such bacteria.(AU)

Justificativa e Objetivos: a resistência bacteriana é um importante problema de saúde pública mundial relacionado ao uso indiscriminado de antimicrobianos, limitando as opções terapêuticas disponíveis. A pandemia de COVID-19 agravou esse cenário, uma vez que a falta de uma terapia padronizada resultou no aumento considerável na prescrição desses fármacos. Diante disso, propôs-se investigar a prevalência de infecções bacterianas e o perfil de resistência aos antimicrobianos em pacientes diagnosticados com COVID-19, bem como apontar possíveis fatores de risco. Métodos: estudo retrospectivo baseado na análise de prontuários de pacientes internados com COVID-19 com idade superior a 18 anos. Informações como idade, gênero, tempo de internação, unidade de internação, espécie bacteriana e perfil de resistência e uso prévio de antimicrobianos pelos pacientes diagnosticados com COVID-19 foram coletadas e analisadas pelo software Excel® 2016. Resultados: dos 268 pacientes com COVID-19, 162 apresentaram suspeitas de infecções bacterianas, sendo 26 pacientes (9,7%) confirmados a partir de culturas positivas. Ainda, cerca de 80% desses pacientes realizaram tratamento empírico com antimicrobianos, sendo a maioria do sexo masculino e internados em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Foram recuperados um total de 32 isolados bacterianos, dos quais 59,4% apresentaram resistência a pelo menos uma classe de antimicrobianos, sendo 21,8% multidroga resistente. Conclusão: apesar do baixo percentual encontrado de pacientes com COVID-19 que apresentaram infecções bacterianas e, desses, 21,8% serem causados por bactérias multirresistentes, o reforço nas políticas de prevenção de infecções e o adequado gerenciamento na liberação de antimicrobianos se fazem necessários para a redução das taxas de disseminação hospitalar de tais bactérias.(AU)

Justificación y Objetivos: la resistencia bacteriana es un importante problema de salud pública en todo el mundo y está relacionada con el uso indiscriminado de antimicrobianos, lo que limita las opciones terapéuticas disponibles. La pandemia por COVID-19 agravó este escenario, ya que la falta de una terapia estandarizada llevó a un aumento considerable en la prescripción de estos fármacos. Por ello, nos propusimos investigar la prevalencia de infecciones bacterianas y el perfil de resistencia antimicrobiana en pacientes diagnosticados de COVID-19, así como señalar posibles factores de riesgo. Métodos: estudio retrospectivo basado en el análisis de historias clínicas de pacientes hospitalizados con COVID-19 mayores de 18 años. Información como edad, sexo, duración de la estadía, unidad de hospitalización, especies bacterianas y perfil de resistencia y uso previo de antimicrobianos por parte de pacientes diagnosticados con COVID-19 fueron recopiladas y analizadas mediante el software Excel® 2016. Resultados: de los 268 pacientes con COVID-19, 162 tenían sospecha de infección bacteriana, con 26 pacientes (9,7%) confirmada a partir de cultivos positivos. Además, alrededor del 80% de estos pacientes recibieron tratamiento empírico con antimicrobianos, la mayoría de los cuales eran hombres e ingresaron en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Se recuperaron un total de 32 aislados bacterianos, de los cuales el 59,4% eran resistentes a al menos una clase de antimicrobianos y el 21,8% eran resistentes a múltiples fármacos. Conclusión: a pesar del bajo porcentaje encontrado de pacientes con COVID-19 que presentaron infecciones bacterianas, y de éstas cerca del 21,8% fueron por bacterias multirresistentes, es necesario reforzar las políticas de prevención de infecciones y una gestión adecuada en la liberación de antimicrobianos para reducir las tasas de diseminación hospitalaria de dichas bacterias.(AU)