Author(s)

Nata Pratama Hardjo Lugito¹, Cucunawangsih Cucunawangsih², Veronica Wiwing², Neneng Suryadinata³

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Pelita Harapan University, Tangerang, Indonesia.
²Department of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Pelita Harapan University, Tangerang, Indonesia.
³Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Pelita Harapan University, Tangerang, Indonesia.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is the most important health problems currently. Antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent bacterial co-infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and lack of surveillance were associated with antimicrobial resistance. ESKAPE pathogens consisting of E. faecium, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumanii, P. aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp. are associated with healthcare-associated infections. Patients and Methods: This descriptive, retrospective, longitudinal study aims to describe the resistance rates of bloodstream infection due to ESKAPE pathogens from patients admitted in Siloam Hospital Karawaci, before and during COVID-19 pandemic (January 1^st, 2019 until December 31^st, 2022). Out of 296 ESKAPE pathogens collected from blood samples, S. aureus was the most frequent species, followed by K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., and E. faecium. Results: Resistance rates of E. faecium were alarmingly high from 2019 until 2021, but in 2022 no sample was found. Resistance rates of S. aureus and MRSA decreased from 2019 until 2021 and then increased again in 2022 while for K. pneumoniae it peaked in 2020 and reached the lowest in 2022. Resistance pattern of A. baumanii was not favorable from 2019 until 2021, but decreased dramatically in 2022. Resistance pattern of P. aeruginosa was quite variable in 2021 and 2022 while for Enterobacter spp. it was variable in 2020 to 2022. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the antimicrobial resistance pattern of ESKAPE pathogens in Banten province, Indonesia. Resistance rates increased as the pandemic peaked in 2020 to 2021, and decreased as the pandemic resolves in 2022.

Antimicrobial Resistance, COVID-19 Pandemic, ESKAPE Pathogens, Multidrug Resistance

Lugito, N. , Cucunawangsih, C. , Wiwing, V. and Suryadinata, N. (2023) Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance of ESKAPE Pathogens before and during Pandemic COVID-19 Pandemic in a University Affiliated Hospital in Tangerang, Indonesia. Open Journal of Medical Microbiology, 13, 146-158. doi: 10.4236/ojmm.2023.132013.