THE RISE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Relevance. Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to global health, causing millions of deaths annually. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly contributed to the increase in antibiotic resistance levels due to the irrational use of antibiotics. This study evaluates changes in antibiotic resistance levels of hospitalacquired infection pathogens in patients with respiratory diseases at the Poltava Regional Clinical Infectious Disease Hospital over the period from 2018 to 2023. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter spp. to major antibiotic groups before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective analysis of microbiological monitoring results was conducted for two periods: before the pandemic (2018 – 2019) and during the pandemic (2020-2023). Results. The results showed that during the pandemic, the resistance levels significantly increased, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. For example, the resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae to ampicillins and secondand third-generation cephalosporins rose from 73.5% to 96%. An increase in resistance was also observed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp., particularly to carbapenems and aminoglycosides. However, in 2022-2023, a decrease in resistance levels was observed, indicating the effectiveness of measures to restrict antibiotic use. The study confirms the importance of implementing antibiotic use control and antibiotic resistance monitoring. The results showed that irrational use of antibiotics during the pandemic contributed to increased resistance of pathogens to antibiotics. However, after the implementation of restrictions and more cautious use of antibiotics in 2022-2023, the frequency of resistance to some drug groups decreased, which demonstrates the effectiveness of control and regulation of antibiotic use.