Investigation of antibiotic resistance against pathogens isolated from respiratory samples in intensive care units after SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study from a tertiary hospital in Turkey analyzed 1,662 respiratory samples from ICU patients before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and found a clear rise in antimicrobial resistance among major respiratory pathogens. Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae remained the most common isolates but showed sharply increased resistance to multiple antibiotics—including gentamicin, carbapenems, and colistin—after 2020. Pseudomonas aeruginosa also exhibited significantly higher resistance rates, while Escherichia coli became less frequently isolated and showed no meaningful resistance changes. Among Gram-positive bacteria, only Enterococcus faecium demonstrated a significant rise in vancomycin resistance. Mortality among ICU patients also increased in the post-pandemic period. Overall, the findings indicate a worsening AMR situation following COVID-19, likely driven by more frequent empirical antibiotic use, longer ICU stays, increased invasive procedures, and broader steroid administration.