Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters
Background: In the period following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, more evidence became available on the epidemiology of bacterial co-/superinfections (bCSs) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Various European therapeutic guidelines were published, including guidance on rational antibioti...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/10/1446 |
| _version_ | 1797475846039011328 |
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| author | Johan Van Laethem Denis Piérard Sabine D. Allard |
| author_facet | Johan Van Laethem Denis Piérard Sabine D. Allard |
| author_sort | Johan Van Laethem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: In the period following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, more evidence became available on the epidemiology of bacterial co-/superinfections (bCSs) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Various European therapeutic guidelines were published, including guidance on rational antibiotic use. Methods: In this letter to the editor, we provide an overview of the largest meta-analyses or prospective studies reporting on bCS rates in COVID-19 patients and discuss why the reader should interpret the results of those reports with care. Moreover, we compare different national and international COVID-19 therapeutic guidelines from countries of the European Union. Specific attention is paid to guidance dedicated to rational antibiotic use. Results: We found a significant heterogeneity in studies reporting on the epidemiology of bCSs in COVID-19 patients. Moreover, European national and international guidelines differ strongly from each other, especially with regard to the content and extent of antibiotic guidance in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: A standardized way of reporting on bCSs and uniform European guidelines on rational antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients are crucial for antimicrobial stewardship teams to halt unnecessary antibiotic use in the COVID-19 setting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:49:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5216f762a2a74bd28952f65be48d7928 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:49:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-5216f762a2a74bd28952f65be48d79282023-11-23T22:36:34ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822022-10-011110144610.3390/antibiotics11101446Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity MattersJohan Van Laethem0Denis Piérard1Sabine D. Allard2Department of Internal Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1090 Brussels, BelgiumMicrobiology Department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), 1090 Brussels, BelgiumDepartment of Internal Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1090 Brussels, BelgiumBackground: In the period following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, more evidence became available on the epidemiology of bacterial co-/superinfections (bCSs) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Various European therapeutic guidelines were published, including guidance on rational antibiotic use. Methods: In this letter to the editor, we provide an overview of the largest meta-analyses or prospective studies reporting on bCS rates in COVID-19 patients and discuss why the reader should interpret the results of those reports with care. Moreover, we compare different national and international COVID-19 therapeutic guidelines from countries of the European Union. Specific attention is paid to guidance dedicated to rational antibiotic use. Results: We found a significant heterogeneity in studies reporting on the epidemiology of bCSs in COVID-19 patients. Moreover, European national and international guidelines differ strongly from each other, especially with regard to the content and extent of antibiotic guidance in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: A standardized way of reporting on bCSs and uniform European guidelines on rational antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients are crucial for antimicrobial stewardship teams to halt unnecessary antibiotic use in the COVID-19 setting.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/10/1446bacterial co-infectionbacterial superinfectionantibiotic stewardshipCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Johan Van Laethem Denis Piérard Sabine D. Allard Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters Antibiotics bacterial co-infection bacterial superinfection antibiotic stewardship COVID-19 |
| title | Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters |
| title_full | Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters |
| title_fullStr | Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters |
| title_short | Beyond Guidelines and Reports on Bacterial Co-/Superinfections in the Context of COVID-19: Why Uniformity Matters |
| title_sort | beyond guidelines and reports on bacterial co superinfections in the context of covid 19 why uniformity matters |
| topic | bacterial co-infection bacterial superinfection antibiotic stewardship COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/10/1446 |
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