For the first time since 2016, the number of antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections has decreased in England, especially infections with the e-coli bacteria. A decrease due to changes in behavior following the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a significant decrease in antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections, as well as antibiotic resistance-related deaths.
- However, the proportion of blood infections resistant to one or more antibiotics remained unchanged compared to 2019.
- We must therefore continue the efforts undertaken since the beginning of the health crisis, in particular on hand washing, and avoid the prescription of antibiotics as much as possible.
Could the Covid-19 health crisis have resulted in a decrease in microbial resistance?
This is the conclusion reached UK Health Security Agency comparing 2020’s incidence figures for antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections with those from previous years.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning for years about the global threat posed by the resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics, these new figures are encouraging. They show that in 2020, 55,384 antibiotic-resistant blood infections were recorded, compared to 65,583 in 2019.
Deaths attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria have also decreased: 2,228 were recorded in 2020, compared to 2,596 in 2019.
A consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic
According to the British health agency, this decrease in antibiotic-resistant blood infections is probably due to behavioral changes induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. With the health crisis and the confinements, the social mix has been less. The pandemic has also led to better hand hygiene, as well as a decrease in the number of people hospitalized.
Indeed, notes the report, the reduction in antibiotic resistance in 2020 is mainly due to the decrease in bloodstream infections. Escherichia coli (E.coli), the bacterium implicated in the majority of nosocomial infections.
Infections with other pathogens have also decreased since 2019. The largest relative decrease of 59% was observed for Streptococcus pneumoniaedropping from 8.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2020.
However, the number of resistant infections is likely to rise again when pandemic-related restrictions end, warns the Health Security Agency.
An increase in the number of resistant infections
Additionally, the report reveals that although the total number of infections and resistant infections decreased in 2020, the proportion of bloodstream infections resistant to one or more antibiotics was the same as in 2019 and in fact higher. than in 2016.
Among the main pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and S pneumoniae77,310 blood infections were recorded in 2020, compared to 88,195 in 2019 and 81,673 in 2016. Of these, 20% (15,549) in 2020, 20% (18,188) in 2019 and 18% (14,829 ) in 2016 were resistant to antibiotics.
“Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been described as a hidden pandemic, and it is important that we do not emerge from the Covid-19 crisis into a new, recalls Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency. Serious antibiotic-resistant infections will rise again if we don’t act responsibly – and it can be as simple as regular and thorough hand washing.”
Decrease the prescription of antibiotics
It is also important to continue the efforts undertaken to reduce the prescription of antibiotics whenever possible, both in general medicine, but also in dentistry and in community and hospital settings. However, if the prescription had decreased since 2016, it increased again by 22% between 2019 and 2020.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has been relentless. But the use of antibiotics to compensate for lack of access to urgent dental care poses a risk to patient safety and should be avoided where possible. says Wendy Thompson, member of the International Dental Federation’s AMR working group. We need to start treating patients with acute dental pain or infections, not medicating them.”
.
