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. 2023 Aug 8;12(8):1297.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12081297.

Microbial Landscape and Antibiotic-Susceptibility Profiles of Microorganisms in Patients with Bacterial Pneumonia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study of COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Cases in Aktobe, Kazakhstan

Nurgul Ablakimova  1 , Aigul Z Mussina  1 , Gaziza A Smagulova  1 , Svetlana Rachina  2 , Meirambek S Kurmangazin  3 , Aigerim Balapasheva  1 , Dinara Karimoldayeva  4 , Afshin Zare  5 , Mahdi Mahdipour  6   7 , Farhad Rahmanifar  8
Affiliations

Microbial Landscape and Antibiotic-Susceptibility Profiles of Microorganisms in Patients with Bacterial Pneumonia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study of COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Cases in Aktobe, Kazakhstan

Nurgul Ablakimova et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

This cross-sectional study investigated the microbial landscape and antibiotic-resistance patterns in patients with bacterial pneumonia, with a focus on the impact of COVID-19. Sputum samples from individuals with bacterial pneumonia, including coronavirus disease 2019-positive polymerase chain reaction (COVID-19-PCR+), COVID-19-PCR- and non-COVID-19 patients, were analyzed. Surprisingly, the classic etiological factor of bacterial pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae, was rarely isolated from the sputum samples. Furthermore, the frequency of multidrug-resistant pathogens was found to be higher in non-COVID-19 patients, highlighting the potential impact of the pandemic on antimicrobial resistance. Strains obtained from COVID-19-PCR+ patients exhibited significant resistance to commonly used antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. Notably, the ESKAPE pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Enterobacter aerogenes, were identified among the isolated microorganisms. Our findings underscore the urgent need for infection control measures and responsible antibiotic use in healthcare settings, as well as the importance of enhancing pneumonia diagnostics and implementing standardized laboratory protocols.

Keywords: COVID-19; antibiotics; antimicrobial resistance; bacterial; etiology; pathogens; pneumonia; sputum.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The microbial landscape of the isolated microorganisms from the sputum samples of the patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 bacterial pneumonia in two hospitals in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, 2021–2022.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage frequency of bacterial pathogen occurrence from sputum samples of COVID-19-PCR+, COVID-19-PCR−, and non-COVID-19 patients with bacterial pneumonia in two hospitals in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, 2021–2022. * stars show significant differences between columns (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Susceptibility profiles of gram-negative isolates belonging to the ESKAPE pathogen group from sputum samples of patients in two hospitals from COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients with bacterial pneumonia in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, 2021–2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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