Abstract
The emergence of COVID-19 infection led to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials without knowing their efficacy in treating the disease. The gratuitous use of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment raises concerns about the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this systematic review, we performed a thorough systematic search using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines of scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) to identify studies where antibiotics were prescribed to treat COVID-19 (December 2019 to December 2021). Of 970 identified studies, 130 were included in our analyses. Almost 78% of COVID-19 patients have been prescribed an antibiotic. Cephalosporins were the most prescribed (30.1% of patients) antibiotics, followed by azithromycin (26% of patients). Antibiotics were prescribed for COVID-19 patients regardless of reported severity; the overall rate of antibiotic use was similar when comparing patients with a severe or critical illness (77.4%) and patients with mild or moderate illness (76.8%). Secondary infections were mentioned in only 11 studies. We conclude that concerns related to COVID-19 and the lack of treatment strategy led to the overuse of antibiotics without proper clinical rationale. Based on our findings, we propose that antimicrobial stewardship should be retained as a priority while treating viral pandemics.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 45 |
Journal | Antibiotics |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2023 |
Keywords
- AMR
- COVID-19
- antibiotics
- cephalosporin
- co-infection
- secondary infection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology (medical)
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology