COVID-19 has fueled rise in antibiotic-resistant bugs

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

COVID-19 has fuelled a rise in antibiotic-resistant bugs, according to new research.

Patients have become vulnerable to a variety of infections - limiting the effectiveness of drugs, say scientists.

The finding is based on computer models of interactions between Europeans during lockdowns.

Changes to prescription medications between 2019 and 2020 affected the bacterium which causes pneumonia.

Streptococcus pneumoniae evolves resistance - increasing transmission in non-hospital settings.

Shutting schools and offices resulted in a decline in cases - but the proportion that became untreatable increased.

People with COVID-19 were at a greater risk because fighting off viruses limits the immune system's ability to tackle invading bacteria, explained the French team.

Confirmed or suspected co-infections may be treated with antibiotics, which can contribute to the bacteria becoming resistant to the drugs.

Lead author Dr. Aleksandra Kovacevic, of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, and colleagues used data on the transmission of the original SARS- CoV-2 coronavirus.

They found it fuelled S. pneumoniae's ability to cause a life-threatening illness.

The bacterium lives harmlessly in many people's throats but can trigger pneumonia and serious blood infections in susceptible individuals.

In six scenarios, the coronavirus wave was associated with a rise in the proportion of S. pneumoniae that was antibiotic-resistant, reports New Scientist.

This could lead to more medical complications and hospitalizations, said co-author Professor Lulla Opatowski.

The researchers simulated the planting of two coronavirus cases in a population of 100,000 people.

On day 120 of the outbreak, a 90-day wave of infections began. The model tracked changing levels of antibiotic-resistant and sensitive S. pneumoniae cases over a year.

Scott Olesen, at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was not involved in the study, said the situation could even be worse than suggested.

The modeling only simulated S. pneumoniae in non-hospital settings. Similar results may also apply to bacteria other than S. pneumoniae.

Dr. Kovacevic said the study in bioRxiv indicates there were changing levels of antibiotic resistance among a bacterium that causes respiratory infections.

But you would need different models to gauge resistance in a bacterium such as Escherichia coli, which mainly spreads via contaminated food.