Abstract
Background: Since the emergence of the COVID-19 disease, a reduction in number of cases of lower respiratory tract infections caused by various viruses and bacteria, has been observed.
Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the profile of bacterial pneumonias in secondary care.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis to identify patients treated for bacterial pneumonia in the year 2019 and 2020.
Results: 1257 patients in 2019 and 824 patients in 2020 were treated for bacterial pneumonia. Causative organisms were isolated in 109 (8.67%) and 50 (6.06%) patients among total cases in these two years respectively.
The figure below illustrates the frequency of these organisms in 2019 and 2020.
Conclusion: An overall reduction in number of cases of bacterial pneumonias was noted in the year 2020. Possible reasons may include reduced transmission of pathogens due to social distancing measues and use of personal protective equipment by the healthcare staff. These findings can potentially provide some useful insight on conforming future public health practices to reduce the spread of respiratory tract infections especially during winters when considerable spike in such infections put an enormous pressure on the healthcare systems worldwide.
Micro-organsims known to cause cavitating pneumonia such as staphylococcus aureus and klebsiella pneumoniae still remain prevelant in 2020.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA289.
This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2021