Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41758837›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Antimicrobial use and documented infection among hospitalized adults in South American acute care facilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Lauren F Dempsey, Hanako Osuka, Olivia L McGovern, Jose M Munita, Maria Isabel Garzon, Icaro Boszczowski, Anne Peters, Maria Spencer-Sandino, Matias C Salomao, Fernanda C Lessa and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lauren F DempseyInternational Infection Control Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1597-9966
Hanako OsukaInternational Infection Control Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2105-6869
Olivia L McGovernInternational Infection Control Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Jose M MunitaInstituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.
Maria Isabel GarzonServicio de Infectología, Hospital Privado de Córdoba, Cordoba, Argentina.
Icaro BoszczowskiInfection Control, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Anne PetersInstituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.
Maria Spencer-SandinoInstituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3995-9297
Matias C SalomaoInfection Control, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5507-0063
Fernanda C LessaInternational Infection Control Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Twisha S PatelInternational Infection Control Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2746-7615

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite low bacterial and fungal infection rates, increased antimicrobial use (AU) among hospitalized patients has been reported during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated whether COVID-19 was a driver of AU and documented bacterial or fungal infection.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study in two hospitals each in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. We included hospitalized adults with and without COVID-19 admitted during the pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) as well as a cohort admitted prior to the pandemic (March 2019-February 2020) with similar age and length of hospitalization. We performed multivariable logistic regressions to compare 1) patients with COVID-19 to those without who were admitted during the pandemic, and 2) patients without COVID-19 who were admitted during the pandemic to a similar patient population before the pandemic to characterize the association of COVID-19 or admission during the pandemic with rates of AU and infections.

resultsA total of 1116 patients were included. During the pandemic, COVID-19 was not associated with receiving antimicrobials or receiving antimicrobials for a duration >48 hours, but it was associated with reduced likelihood of culture-positive bacterial or fungal infection (aOR=0.35, 95% CI: 0.19-0.64, p < 0.001). Compared to patients without COVID-19 admitted during the pandemic, patients admitted prior to the pandemic were more likely to have received antimicrobials (aOR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.15-2.07, p < 0.01), but there was no association with receiving antimicrobials for duration>48 hours or having a culture-positive bacterial or fungal infection.

conclusionsCOVID-19 was not associated with an increased likelihood of AU in this cohort of hospitalized adults.

Indexed as

Anti-Infective AgentsBacterial InfectionsCOVID-19MycosesAdultAgedArgentinaBrazilChileFemaleHospitalizationHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsRetrospective StudiesAnti-Infective Agents

Identifiers

PMID41758837
PMCPMC12948048

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.