Patterns in Antibiotic Susceptibility Before and After COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in antibiotic use, despite the viral nature of the disease. This widespread and often unnecessary use of antibiotics poses a serious threat on global health by accelerating the development of antibiotic resistance. Healthcare professionals utilize strategies, including Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASPs) and the use of antibiograms to mitigate the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Antibiograms are tools used in healthcare settings to summarize and track bacterial susceptibility to various antibiotics. They provide clinicians critical information to guide selection of effective antibiotic treatment and monitor resistance trends overtime. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established ASPs to optimize antibiotic use, enhance patient outcomes, and curb the rise of drug-resistant infections. However, the COVID-19 pandemic placed strain on healthcare systems complicating the implementation and maintenance of effective ASPs. This study seeks to determine whether antibiotic resistance significantly increased during the pandemic by analyzing and comparing susceptibility rates from pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods using publicly available antibiograms from 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2022 (post-pandemic). Specifically, we will examine changes in susceptibility rates from commonly used antibiotics and commonly prescribed antibiotics against frequently reported bacterial organisms.