The impact of the COVID pandemic on the uropathogenic bacterial resistance profile: Experience of the bacteriology lab of the military hospital Avicenne in Marrakech

The aim of this study is to define the uropathogenic bacterial resistance and to clarify how the COVID 19 pandemic has affected the development of bacterial resistance.

Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the bacterial profile and antibiotic resistance status of the main isolates of uropathogens at the laboratory of microbiology at the military hospital Avicenne in Marrakech over the course of two time periods: the first was prior to COVID 19 (January 2019 to February 2020), and the second was one year later (January 2021 to February 2022).

Results: In the first phase of the study, out of 4000 ECBU intended for the bacteriology lab, 581 met the criteria for a urinary tract infection. In the second phase of the study, out of 4692 ECBU requested, 590 samples were found to be positive, with a rate of incidence of 15%. For the two times, the Enterobacteries made up 80% of all the isolated bacteria. The total number of multiresistant bacteria (BMR) discovered on the ECBU's isolats during the course of the two study periods is 153, or 6.5% of the total isolats.

Conclusion: This study made Escherichia coli the bacteria most implicated in the epidemiology of urogenital infections during the two periods. In the majority of cases, rates of resistance to various antibiotics increased during the COVID pandemic compared to the same time period two years earlier.