Bacteremia with Multi-drug Resistant Gram-negative Bacteria in Pediatrics and Its Correlation with COVID-19

Background: Bloodstream infection with multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria has been introduced as the main risk factor for in-hospital mortality in vulnerable children worldwide. COVID-19 can complicate the treatment process in patients with bacteremia; however, data about this co-infection in children are scant. Objectives: This was a study on the antimicrobial patterns of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) isolated from blood samples of children with bacteremia and their correlation with COVID-19. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, blood samples of children with bacteremia were analyzed using BACTEC bottles. The bacterial isolates were characterized based on standard microbiology laboratory methods, and MDR strains were detected based on a standard protocol. Real-time PCR tests for COVID-19 were recorded from the patients’ hospital documents. Results: A total of 255 positive blood samples were detected in children with bacteremia. The bacterial isolates included Enterobacteriaceae spp. 43.5% (111/255), Pseudomonas spp. 33.7% (86/255), Acinetobacter spp. 21.6% (55/255), and Stenotrophomonas spp. 1.2% (3/255). Of 255 GNB, 86.66% (221/255) were MDR, and the frequency of MDR strains was as follows: Enterobacteriaceae spp. 91.8% (102/111), Pseudomonas spp. 77.9% (67/86), Acinetobacter spp. 89% (49/55), and Stenotrophomonas spp. 100% (3/3). Of 255 children with GNB-related bacteremia, COVID-19 infection was confirmed in 25.1% (64/255) of them. Nearly 93.7% (60/64) of these patients had both MDR bacteremia and COVID-19. The correlation was significant between MDR bacteremia and COVID-19 (P-value = 0.002). The death rate was 43.33% (26/60) among these children. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that MDR-GNB was the main cause of bacteremia in children. Our findings showed a notable risk of concomitant COVID-19 and GNB-related bacteremia in these patients.