Multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms are emerging as some of the main healthcare problems worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures have been adopted to reduce nosocomial microorganism transmission. We performed a case–control study to identify if the incidence of MDR bacterial infections while using pandemic-related preventive measures is lower than in previous years. From 2017 to 2020, we monitored hospital discharges over a four-month period (P #) (1 March to 30 June) in St. Andrea Hospital, Rome. In total, we reported 1617 discharges. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to identify significant differences. A value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A significant reduction in the incidence of total MDR bacterial infections was observed during the pandemic compared to in prepandemic years ( p < 0.05). We also found a significantly higher incidence of MDR bacterial infections in COVID-19 departments compared with other medical departments (29% and 19%, respectively), with extended-spectrum β -lactamase Klebsiella pneumoniae as the pathogens presenting the highest increase. This study demonstrates that maintaining a high level of preventive measures could help tackle an important health problem such as that of the spread of MDR bacteria.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, prevention, PPI, hygiene, Nosocomial infections, hospital-acquired infections, multidrug resistant, 【초록키워드】 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic, nosocomial, Transmission, Spread, Health, pathogen, healthcare, Control, Bacterial infection, Bacteria, incidence, Klebsiella pneumoniae, preventive measure, significant differences, hospital discharge, help, measure, problem, organism, Rome, MDR, highest, identify, performed, was used, reported, adopted, significantly higher, reduce, statistically significant, presenting, A significant reduction, 【제목키워드】 MDR,