Hospital-Onset Antimicrobial Resistant Infections Increased During COVID-19 Pandemic
MONDAY, May 5, 2025 -- Hospital-onset antimicrobial-resistant infections increased across U.S. hospitals during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online April 29 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Christina Yek, M.D., Ph.D., from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues examined the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant infections in U.S. hospitals during and beyond the pandemic in a retrospective cohort study conducted in 243 U.S. hospitals.
The researchers found that antimicrobial-resistant infections increased from 182 to 193 per 10,000 hospitalizations during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (6.5 percent increase). There was a 31.5 percent increase in hospital-onset antimicrobial-resistant infections, from 28.9 to 38.0 per 10,000 hospitalizations. Illness severity (intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, COVID-19 diagnosis), comorbidities (Elixhauser Comorbidity Index), and prior exposure to antibiotics were factors associated with hospital-onset antimicrobial resistance (AMR), but no association was seen for hospital factors. As the pandemic waned, the prevalence of AMR returned to prepandemic levels (182 per 10,000 hospitalizations); however, hospital-onset AMR remained above baseline (32.3 per 10,000 hospitalizations).
"Antibiotic exposure in the preceding three months had incremental and sizable population-level impact on AMR increases, reinforcing the scope of this modifiable factor in potentially mitigating the ongoing crisis," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Azelastine Nasal Spray Reduces Risk for SARS-CoV-2 Infection
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2025 -- Azelastine nasal spray is associated with a reduced risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, according to a study...
COVID-19 Tied to Higher Risk for Inflammatory Diseases of the Airways
THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 -- People who have had COVID-19 have an increased risk for developing certain new-onset type 2 inflammatory diseases of the airways, while receipt of a...
Antibiotics in Pregnancy, Infancy Not Linked to Autoimmune Diseases
TUESDAY, Aug. 26, 2025 -- There seems to be no association between antibiotic exposure during the prenatal period or early infancy and development of autoimmune diseases in...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.