Prevalence of Fungal Drug Resistance in COVID-19 Infection: a Global Meta-analysis

• Published in: Current fungal infection reports 2022-12, Vol.16 (4), p.154-164
• Main Authors: Habibzadeh, Adrina, Lankarani, Kamran B., Farjam, Mojtaba, Akbari, Maryam, Kashani, Seyyed Mohammad Amin, Karimimoghadam, Zeinab, Wang, Kan, Imanieh, Mohammad Hossein, Tabrizi, Reza, Ahmadizar, Fariba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Candida; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 and Fungal Infections (RPL Kodiyanplakkal; COVID-19 and Fungal Infections (RPL Kodiyanplakkal, Section Editor); Drug resistance; Infections; Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Meta-analysis; Multidrug resistance; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Patients; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Section Editor; Topical Collection on COVID-19 and Fungal Infections; Tropical Medicine
• ISSN: 1936-3761; 1936-377X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12281-022-00439-9

Purpose Secondary bacterial or fungal infections are one of the most important medical complications among patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) candida can cause many problems such as treatment failure, adverse clinical outcomes, and even disease outbreaks. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence and outcomes of fungal drug-resistant in COVID-19 patients. Methods PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for peer reviewed-articles published in English up to May 20, 2021. Heterogeneity across studies was evaluated using Cochrane’s Q test and the I 2 index. The pooled point prevalence and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were considered to estimate the prevalence of fungal drug resistance infection in COVID-19 patients. Results Eight eligible articles were included in our meta-analysis. The number of COVID-19 patients with fungal co-infection varied from 5 to 35 among selected studies. The overall pooled prevalence of fungal drug resistance among patients with co-infections of fungal and COVID-19 was 69% (95% CI: 37%, 94%) by using a random-effects model. In terms of specific species, the pooled meta-analysis for Candida Auris was estimated to be 100% (95%CI: 98%, 100%; I 2  = 0%), for Multi-Candida 59% (95%CI: 38%, 79%; I 2  = 12.5%), and for Aspergillus 15% (95%CI: 0%, 42%; I 2  = 0%). Conclusion Our study shows the high prevalence of fungal drug resistance in COVID-19 patients and emphasizes the need to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship programs, close monitoring for treatment failure, and the emergence of resistance upon treatment.