and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci from Bloodstream Infections: Frequency of Occurrence and Antimicrobial Resistance, 2018-2021.
Nicola Serra, Paola Di Carlo, Maria Andriolo, Giovanni Mazzola, Elena Diprima, Teresa Rea, Antonio Anastasia, Teresa Maria Assunta Fasciana, Luca Pipitò, Giuseppina Capra, Anna Giammanco, Antonio Cascio
Author Information
Nicola Serra: Department of Public Health, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Napoli, Italy. ORCID
Paola Di Carlo: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", Infectious Disease Unit, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy. ORCID
Maria Andriolo: Clinical Pathology Unit, S. Elia Hospital, 93100 Caltanissetta, Italy.
Giovanni Mazzola: Infectious Disease Unit, Provincial Health Authority of Caltanissetta, 93100 Caltanissetta, Italy.
Elena Diprima: Hypatia Degree Course, Caltanissetta, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Teresa Rea: Department of Public Health, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
Antonio Anastasia: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", Infectious Disease Unit, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Teresa Maria Assunta Fasciana: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Luca Pipitò: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", Infectious Disease Unit, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy. ORCID
Giuseppina Capra: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", Microbiology and Virology Unit, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy. ORCID
Anna Giammanco: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Antonio Cascio: Department of Health Promotion, Maternal-Childhood, Internal Medicine of Excellence "G. D'Alessandro", Infectious Disease Unit, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy. ORCID
BACKGROUND: The abuse of antibiotics during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic might have disrupted efforts to curb the further development and spread of the antimicrobial resistance of infection and spp. coagulase-negative (CoNS) agents of nosocomial bloodstream infections (NBSIs). The purpose of our work was to study the resistance patterns of and CoNS through the analysis of blood cultures in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2-positive and SARS-CoV-2-negative patients (pts.). MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the period January 2018-June 2021, a retrospective case-control study was performed on blood cultures positive for spp. detected in 177 adult pts. (≥18 years old) hospitalized for >48 hours at Sant'Elia Hospital, Caltanissetta. RESULTS: was isolated in 33.9% of blood culture samples, and among CoNS, the most frequent strains were (18.6%) and (18.1%). Patients aged ≥ 65 years, with a greater number of males, comprised the SARS-CoV-2-negative pts. (71.8% vs. 52.2%, = 0.0154). Among the SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, the significant resistance of was only observed for erythromycin (57.1%). The oxacillin resistance of was higher in SARS-CoV-2-positive than in negative pts. (90% and 78.3%, respectively). Comparing the two groups, we found an increase in resistance in SARS-CoV-2-negative patients for the following antibiotics: gentamicin for ( = 0.007), clindamycin and erythromycin ( = 0.012) for and oxacillin and rifampicin for ( = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the relevance of oxacillin-resistant in being responsible for bloodstream infection and draws attention to highly oxacillin-resistant CoNS such as . The presence of resistant strains of CoNS in hospitals can be worrying, as it limits treatment options and worsens outcomes. The Infection Control Committee (ICC) recommends new treatment strategies to decrease colonization and infections. As part of the implementation of a bloodstream infection prevention program, the authors encourage the introduction of a report on the antimicrobial resistance of hospital bacteremia due to CoNS.
