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. 2023 Aug;82(8):188-193.

A Systematic Review of Antimicrobial Resistance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Janice S W Burnside  1 , Opal Vanessa Buchthal  1 , Uday Patil  1
Affiliations

A Systematic Review of Antimicrobial Resistance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Janice S W Burnside et al. Hawaii J Health Soc Welf. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, or "superbugs," cause more than 35 000 deaths and more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections in the US each year. Worldwide, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has claimed at least 700 000 lives per year, including 230 000 from multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis. AMR-related deaths are projected to increase to 10 million by the year 2050. The use of biocides, improper prescribing of antibiotics for viral infections, prolonged hospital stays, and other issues contribute to AMR. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the rates of AMR globally. While it is still early for the results of research studies, 4 articles indicated an increase, 2 found a decrease, and 2 had mixed results. It is possible that this pandemic may be contributing to an increase of medication-resistant infections.

Keywords: COVID-19; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial resistance; multi-drug resistant.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors identify a conflict of interest.

Figures

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Janice S.W. Burnside
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA Article Selection Flowcharta a Figure reflects the flow of information via the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), an evidence-based, minimum set of recommendations designed primarily to encourage transparent and complete reporting of Systematic Reviews.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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