Abstract Objectives During the lockdown that started in Italy on 10 March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic, aggressive procedures were implemented to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission in SARS-CoV-2-negative patients with haematological malignancies. These efforts progressively reduced Klebsiella pneumonia carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-KP) spread among these patients. Here we evaluated the potential effects of measures against COVID-19 that reduced KPC-KP transmission. Patients and methods We analysed KPC-KP spread among 123 patients with haematological malignancies, hospitalized between March and August 2020, who were managed using measures against COVID-19. Their outcomes were compared with those of 80 patients hospitalized during the preceding 4 months (November 2019–February 2020). Results During March–August 2020, 15.5% of hospitalized patients were KPC-KP positive, compared with 52.5% in November 2019–February 2020 ( P < 0.0001); 8% and 27.5% of patients in these two groups were newly KPC-KP positive, respectively ( P = 0.0003). There were eight new KPC-KP-positive patients during January 2020 and none during June 2020. The weekly rate of hospitalized KPC-KP-positive patients decreased from 50% during March 2020 to 17% during August 2020. Four KPC-KP bloodstream infections (BSIs) were experienced by 123 patients (3%) in March–August 2020, and seven BSIs (one fatal) by 80 patients (8%) in November 2019–February 2020 ( P = 0.02). Consumption and expense of ceftazidime/avibactam administered to KPC-KP-positive patients significantly decreased in March–August 2020. Conclusions Aggressive strategies to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission were applied to all hospitalized patients, characterized by high levels of KPC-KP endemicity and nosocomial transmission. Such measures prevented SARS-CoV-2 infection acquisition and KPC-KP horizontal transmission. Reduced KPC-KP spread, fewer associated clinical complications and decreased ceftazidime/avibactam consumption represented unexpected ‘collateral benefits’ of strategies to prevent COVID-19.
【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Hospitalized, Pneumonia, lockdown, SARS-COV-2 infection, COVID-19 pandemic, nosocomial, Transmission, outcome, Italy, hospitalized patients, Spread, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, Patient, bloodstream infection, patients, Consumption, measure, effort, malignancies, pneumoniae, positive, acquisition, Administered, Effect, BSI, objective, Prevent, clinical complication, Seven, Klebsiella, Result, significantly, evaluated, eight, applied, analysed, reduced, characterized, hospitalized patient, prevented, two group, Aggressive, patients hospitalized, patients with haematological, 【제목키워드】 Hospitalized, COVID-19 pandemic, hospital, Transmission, malignancy, Klebsiella pneumoniae, pneumoniae, Italian, patients with haematological,