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. 2025 Sep 25;7(3):273-282.
doi: 10.36519/idcm.2025.513. eCollection 2025 Sep.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on CLABSI Rates and Antibiotic Resistance: A Multicenter Study in Türkiye

Elif Sargın-Altunok  1 , Şiran Keske  2 , Ayşe Batırel  1 , Hüseyin Bilgin  3 , Ezgi Gülten  4 , Şirin Menekşe  5 , Abdullah Gölbol  6 , Petek Konya  7 , Lütfiye Nilsun Altunal  8 , Deniz Özer  9 , Ali Asan  10 , Ayşe Deniz-Yüksel  11 , Özlem Akdoğan  12 , Tuğba Yanık-Yalçın  13 , Fethiye Akgül  14 , Işıl Deniz Alıravcı  15 , Taliha Karakök  16 , Ahmet Şahin  17 , İlknur Erdem  18 , Esra Gürbüz  19 , Fatma Yekta-Ürkmez  20 , Zehra Çağla Karakoç  21 , Bahar Kaçmaz  22 , Özge Eren-Korkmaz  23 , Meltem Karslıoğlu  24 , Merve Arslan  25 , Müge Toygar-Deniz  26 , Mehtap Aydın  8 , Neşe Demirtürk  7 , Alpay Azap  4 , Önder Ergönül  2
Affiliations

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on CLABSI Rates and Antibiotic Resistance: A Multicenter Study in Türkiye

Elif Sargın-Altunok et al. Infect Dis Clin Microbiol. .

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted infection control practices in healthcare settings. Previous studies have reported increased rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), particularly during the early stages and peak periods of the pandemic. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CLABSI rates in Türkiye over a four-year period from 2019 to 2022.

Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected CLABSI data from hospitals across various regions of Türkiye between 2019 and 2022. The study period was divided into three phases: pre-pandemic, early pandemic, and late pandemic. Demographic and clinical characteristics, mortality rates, and microbiological data were analyzed. Pathogen distribution and antibiotic resistance patterns were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Results: A total of 25 hospitals participated in the study. The CLABSI rates per 1000 catheter days were 4.26 in 2019, 4.13 in 2020, 3.68 in 2021, and 3.53 in 2022. Across all periods, 3238 pathogens were identified. Gram-negative bacteria predominated both before and during the pandemic, with Acinetobacter baumannii (18.6%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.8%) being the most common. Notably, an increase in carbapenem and colistin resistance in K. pneumonia was observed during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Conclusions: In Türkiye, the predominant causative agents of CLABSI did not change during the pandemic, with Klebsiella spp. and A. baumannii being most frequently isolated. However, the rise in CLABSI-associated mortality during the pandemic highlights the broader impact of healthcare system disruptions.

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; COVID-19 pandemic; central line-associated bloodstream infections; healthcare-associated infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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