Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aims to determine the prevalence of secondary bacterial infections (SBIs) in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) subjects and evaluate their antibiotic susceptibility. The study also sought to identify risk factors for the outcome of SBIs in COVID-19 subjects. METHODS: This single-center cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out at Sohar Hospital in Oman. The study examined hospitalized COVID-19 subjects diagnosed with SBIs during March 2020-December 2022. The relevant subjects' data were extracted from hospital electronic health records and analyzed using STATA version 14. The Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was employed for analyzing categorical variables, and P < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. RESULTS: The research encompassed a total of 817 bacteria recovered from various clinical samples of 421 subjects. The older individuals (39.4%) and men (65.6%) experienced bacterial infections more frequently, with bloodstream and respiratory infections being the most common. Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) were responsible for a higher proportion (85.6%) of infections, with Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae being the most common pathogens. Subjects who underwent mechanical ventilation, received corticosteroid therapy, and who had underlying comorbidities, such as diabetes and chronic renal disease, were found to have higher mortality rates. Neutrophilia, elevated C-reactive protein, lymphocytopenia, decreased serum albumin level, sepsis, and pneumonia were found to be independent contributors to mortality. CONCLUSIONS: SBI is common among COVID-19-hospitalized subjects. GNB were primarily linked to SBI. The severity and the likelihood of SBI increased in subjects undergoing medical interventions and immunosuppressive therapy.