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. 2022 Sep 21;19(19):11931.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191911931.

Antibiotic Resistance during COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Hadi Jaber Al Sulayyim  1 , Rohani Ismail  1 , Abdullah Al Hamid  2 , Noraini Abdul Ghafar  3
Affiliations

Antibiotic Resistance during COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Hadi Jaber Al Sulayyim et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

One of the public health issues faced worldwide is antibiotic resistance (AR). During the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, AR has increased. Since some studies have stated AR has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and others have stated otherwise, this study aimed to explore this impact. Seven databases-PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, and CINAHL-were searched using related keywords to identify studies relevant to AR during COVID-19 published from December 2019 to May 2022, according to PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-three studies were included in this review, and the evidence showed that AR has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most commonly reported resistant Gram-negative bacteria was Acinetobacterbaumannii, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A. baumannii and K. pneumonia were highly resistant to tested antibiotics compared with E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Moreover, K. pneumonia showed high resistance to colistin. Commonly reported Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium. The resistance of E. faecium to ampicillin, erythromycin, and Ciprofloxacin was high. Self-antibiotic medication, empirical antibiotic administration, and antibiotics prescribed by general practitioners were the risk factors of high levels of AR during COVID-19. Antibiotics' prescription should be strictly implemented, relying on the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) and guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) or Ministry of Health (MOH).

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-2; antibiotic resistance; common antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart of the systematic search.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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