ArticleInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2024
Early empiric antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients: results from the international VIRUS registry.
Article in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Escalation of CTX-M-producing extensively drug-resistantMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Antibiotic Prescribing Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Post-Hoc Analysis of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Antibiotic Use, Bacterial Co-Infection, and Antimicrobial Resistance in Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19, Influenza, or RSV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Current State of the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance: What Are the Different Strategies for Tomorrow?Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effectiveness and safety of a prospective audit and feedback-based antimicrobial stewardship program in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a quasi-experimental before-and-after study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- From Widespread Use to Loss of Effectiveness: The Consequences of Inappropriate Azithromycin Prescriptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of microbiology · 2026Review
- In-hospital antimicrobial use and multidrug-resistant infections among COVID-19 patients in Northern Malaysia (COVAM): a multicentre study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Article
- Comparative Safety of Empirical Antibiotic Classes in Newly Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Kinetic Patterns of Antibiotic Consumption in German Acute Care Hospitals from 2017 to 2023.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- National Trends in Antibiotic Prescribing for Adults Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Other Viral Respiratory Infections.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Increased risk of Enterococcal Bacteremia in critically ill patients with COVID-19 during pandemic surges.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2025Article
- The challenge of multidrug resistance in hospitalized pediatric patients with urinary tract infections.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Antibacterial consumption before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Mexico.PloS one · 2025Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Inpatient Antibiotic and Antifungal Drug Prescribing Volumes in Germany.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 10 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesCOVID-19 escalated inappropriate antibiotic use. We determined the distribution of pathogens causing community-acquired co-infections, the rate, and factors associated with early empiric antibiotic (EEAB) treatment among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
methodsThe Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study (VIRUS) COVID-19 Registry including 68,428 patients from 28 countries enrolled between January 2020 and October 2021 were screened. After exclusions, 7830 patients were included in the analysis. Azithromycin and/or other antibiotic treatment given within the first 3 days of hospitalization was investigated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine factors associated with EEAB use.
resultsThe majority (6214, 79.4%) of patients received EEAB, with azithromycin combination being the most frequent (3146, 40.2%). As the pandemic advanced, the proportion of patients receiving EEAB regressed from 84.4% (786/931) in January-March 2020 to 65.2% (30/46) in April-June 2021 (P < 0.001). Beta-lactams, especially ceftriaxone was the most commonly used antibiotic. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated pathogen. Multivariate analysis showed geographical location and pandemic timeline as the strongest independent predictors of EEAB use.
conclusionsEEAB administration decreased as pandemic advanced, which may be the result of intensified antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Our study provides worldwide goals for antimicrobial stewardship programs in the post-COVID-19 era.
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