Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance pattern of Vibrio cholerae isolates at a tertiary care health laboratory

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging public health problem in modern times and the current COVID-19 pandemic has further exaggerated this problem. Due to bacterial co-infection in COVID-19 cases, an irrational consumption of antibiotics has occurred during the pandemic. This study aimed to observe the COVID-19 patients hospitalized from 1 March 2019 to 31 December 2020 and to evaluate the AMR pattern of bacterial agents isolated. This was a single-center study comprising 494 bacterial isolates (blood and urine) that were obtained from patients with SARS-CoV-2 admitted to the ICU and investigated in the Department of Microbiology of a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India. Out of the total bacterial isolates, 55.46% were gram negative and 44.53% were gram positive pathogens. Of the blood samples processed, the most common isolates were CoNS (Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus) and Staphylococcus aureus. Amongst the urinary isolates, most common pathogens were Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. A total of 60% MRSA was observed in urine and blood isolates. Up to 40% increase in AMR was observed amongst these isolates obtained during COVID-19 period compared to pre-COVID-19 times. The overuse of antibiotics gave abundant opportunity for the bacterial pathogens to gradually develop mechanisms and to acquire resistance. Since the dynamics of SARS-COV-2 are unpredictable, a compromise on hospital antibiotic policy may ultimately escalate the burden of drug resistant pathogens in hospitals. A shortage of trained staff during COVID-19 pandemic renders it impossible to maintain these records in places where the entire hospital staff is struggling to save lives. This study highlights the extensive rise in the use of antibiotics for respiratory illness due to COVID-19 compared to antibiotic use prior to COVID-19 in ICUs. The regular prescription audit followed by a constant surveillance of hospital infection control practices by the dedicated teams and training of clinicians can improve the quality of medications in the long run and help to fight the menace of AMR.

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Phenotypic Pattern of Vibrio choleraeIsolates from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Vadodara, Gujarat, India

JOURNAL FOR CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH ◽

10.7860/jcdr/2020/44130.13947 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sonia Sandeep Barve ◽

Srujana Prabhala ◽

Tanuja Bakul Javadekar ◽

Sandeep Om Nanda

Keyword(s):

Vibrio Cholerae ◽

Monsoon Season ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Phage Type ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Diarrhoeal Disease ◽

Phage Typing ◽

Resistance Pattern ◽

Care Hospital ◽

El Tor

Introduction: Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae (V.cholerae). Based on antigenic differences of O antigen, O1 serogroup can be divided into three serotypes. In addition, by performing various biochemical reactions, O1 Serogroup can be differentiated into two biotypes. Outbreaks of Cholera occur seasonally. It is associated with monsoon season, warm temperature, heavy rainfall and increased plankton population. Aim: The aim was to determine the trends in resistance pattern and phenotypic Pattern of Vibrio cholerae. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted during the period from June 2019-December 2019. Culture of Stool specimens were done on different agar media. Biotyping was done by conventional methods. Serotyping and phage typing was also done along with the Antibiotic susceptibility testing. Descriptive analysis was used and presented in terms of percentage. Results:V.cholerae was isolated in 72 patients and they belonged to serogroup O1 and biotype El Tor. The most common serotype was Ogawa. The predominant phage type were T2 by old scheme and T27 by new scheme of phage typing. The maximum number of V. cholerae isolates was seen in the month of November, 2019 followed by October, 2019. Conclusion: The phenotypic pattern and fluctuating seasonal trend of V. cholerae and antimicrobial resistance encourage the continued epidemiological and microbiological surveillance of the disease.

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