Bacterial and Fungal Superinfections in COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit from Timișoara, Romania

PURPOSE: Critically ill patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) have an increased infection risk. The aim of this study was to determine the bacterial and fungal superinfections rate in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients stationed in the ICU, identify risk factors associated with their development and to determine whether superinfection plays a role in patients’ outcome in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective, non-interventional, single centre, cohort study, medical records of 302 consecutive patients with SARS-COV-2 pneumonia admitted into the COVID-19 ICU of the largest university hospital from Western Romania between October 2020 and May 2021, were reviewed, of whom 236 patients met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen patients developed a superinfection ≥48 h after being admitted to the hospital. Superinfection rate in the ICU was 50.42%. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) and Enterococcus spp. were predominantly isolated from blood cultures, while Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida spp. from tracheobronchial aspirates. Significant independent risk factors regarding bacterial/fungal superinfection in COVID-19 patients were obtained for the following variables: number of days of central venous catheter (HR = 1.13 [1.07–1.20], p < 0.001) and prior administration of corticosteroids (HR = 2.80 [1.33–5.93], p = 0.007). Four independent predictive risk factors were associated with unfavorable outcome: age (HR = 1.07 [95% CI 1.03–1.12], p = 0.001); Carmeli Score (HR = 6.09 [1.18–31.50], p = 0.031); body mass index (HR = 1.11 [1.02–1.21], p = 0.011) and the presence of a central venous catheter (HR = 6.49 [1.93–21.89], p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The superinfection rate in COVID-19 patients was high in this study group. Exogenous risk factors were associated with superinfection more than endogenous factors. Only a small percentage of uninfected COVID-19 patients were not prescribed antibiotics during their hospitalization, raising serious concerns regarding the judicious prescribing of antibiotics in viral infections.