Symptoms, Treatment, and Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients Coinfected with <i>Clostridioides difficile</i>: Single-Center Study from NE Romania during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought new challenges across medical disciplines, particularly in infectious disease medicine. In Romania, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection increased dramatically since March 2020 until March...

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Main Authors: Lidia Oana Stămăteanu (Author), Ionela Larisa Miftode (Author), Claudia Elena Pleșca (Author), Olivia Simona Dorneanu (Author), Manuel Florin Roșu (Author), Ioana Diandra Miftode (Author), Maria Obreja (Author), Egidia Gabriela Miftode (Author)
Format: Book
Published: MDPI AG, 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought new challenges across medical disciplines, particularly in infectious disease medicine. In Romania, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection increased dramatically since March 2020 until March 2022. Antibiotic administration for pulmonary superinfections in COVID-19 intensified and, consequently, increased rates of <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> infection (CDI) were hypothesized. We conducted a single-center, retrospective, observational study on patients from North-Eastern Romania to assess clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 and <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> (CD) coinfection, and to identify risk factors for CDI in COVID-19 patients. The study enrolled eighty-six CDI and COVID-19 coinfected patients admitted during March 2020-February 2021 (mean age 59.14 years, 53.49% men, 67.44% urban residents) and a group of eighty-six COVID-19 patients. On admission, symptoms were more severe in mono-infected patients, while coinfected patients associated a more intense acute inflammatory syndrome. The main risk factors for severe COVID-19 were smoking, diabetes mellitus, and antibiotic administration. Third generation cephalosporins (55%) and carbapenems (24%) were the main antibiotics used, and carbapenems were significantly associated with severe COVID-19 in patients coinfected with CD during hospitalization. Coinfection resulted in longer hospitalization and poorer outcomes. The extensive use of antibiotics in COVID-19, particularly carbapenems, contributed substantially to CD coinfection.
Item Description:10.3390/antibiotics12071091
2079-6382