The Effect of the Covid 19 Pandemic on the Antibiotic Resistance Levels of Staphylococcus aureus Strains

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen that can cause a diverse range of diseases, from mild skin and soft tissue infections sepsis. The aim of this study was to retrospectively compare the antibiotic resistance status of S. aureus strains and the change in the prevalence of met-hicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) before, during and after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in our hospital. Materials and Methods: The present study was designed to encompass three cross-sectional phases before COVID-19 pandemic (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019, two years), the pandemic period (11 March 2020 to 10 March 2022, two years), and the post-pandemic phase (5 May 2023 to 31 De-cember 2023, seven months). In the study, the incidence and antibiotic resistance status of S. aureus strains cultured and identified from various clinical samples were retrospectively analyzed using data from the hospital laboratory information system. Results: As a result of the study, when the antibiotic resistance status of S. aureus strains was exami-ned, it was determined that gentamicin resistance had a resistance rate of 4% in the pre-pandemic period and 6.9% in the pandemic period. A downward trend was observed in MRSA rates during the pandemic. A higher MRSA prevalence was observed before the pandemic compared to the following two periods (p=0.093). In addition, a higher MRSA prevalence was observed in the intensive care unit in the pre-pandemic period compared to other wards (p=0.075). Conclusions: The decrease in MRSA prevalence during the pandemic period may be due to a number of factors, such as the implementation of quarantine measures, improved hand hygiene practices and meticulous attention to contact precautions. The increase in gentamicin resistance rates observed during the pandemic period may be due to excessive intensive use of antibiotics.