Community-Acquired Pneumonia of Bacterial Etiology and the Spectrum of Pathogen Sensitivity to Antibiotics in Corona-Positive and Corona-Negative Patients in Rostov-on-Don

Relevance. In the context of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus infection, the course of viral pneumonia is often complicated by the addition of bacterial microflora due to a decrease in the body's immune status. The causative agents of such a co-infection can exhibit multiple drug resistance, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of etiotropic therapy. In this regard, it seems expedient to provide microbiological support to patients in order to select the most optimal treatment regimens. 

Aim. To study the composition of bacterial pathogens’ species, that cause community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in corona-positive (COVID-19+) and corona-negative (COVID-19–) patients and to determine the spectrum of their sensitivity/resistance to antibacterial drugs. 

Material and methods. The species composition of microorganisms in sputum samples from 723 patients with CAP, who were admitted from the healthcare facility in Rostov-on-Don in August and December 2020 were studied. The isolated cultures were identified using bacteriological and mass spectrometric methods. The sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics was determined by the disk diffusion method. 

Results. It was shown that in August pneumococci and  staphylococci prevailed in the spectrum of CAP pathogens, while in December the percentage of excretions of Acinetobacter spp. and S. haemolyticus increased. Various types of p. Candida yeast were found with a high degree of isolation, COVID-19 + patients showed a tendency towards greater contamination (I104 mcl/ml). Some pathogens (A.baumannii, S.haemolyticus, P.aeruginosa, S.maltophilia) are characterized by polydrug resistance, and some strains of these species are pan-resistant to all groups of antibiotics. 

Conclusion. The data obtained demonstrate that severe forms of community-acquired pneumonia can be caused by viral-bacterial and viral-bacterial-yeast combinations of pathogens, including bacteria with a narrow spectrum of sensitivity to antibacterial drugs. 

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