ACINETOBACTER SPP. INFECTIONS AMONG COVID-19 CRITICALLY-ILL PATIENTS: SHIFTING UP THE CURRENT AND FUTURE THREATENING LEVELS OF THE VERSATILE OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGEN

Antonio Neres Norberg*, Paulo Roberto Blanco Moreira Norberg, Cláudia Maria Blanco Moreira Norberg, Fernanda Castro Manhães, Bianca Magnelli Mangiavacchi, Fabiano Guerra Sanches, Alcemar Antônio Lopes de Matos and Renato Mataveli Ferreira Filho

ABSTRACT

Acinetobacter spp. are bacteria responsible for hospital infections, especially among patients submitted to medical devices like mechanical ventilation and catheters. Severe-ill patients with COVID-19 require hospital care, often in Intensive Care Units. These patients are vulnerable to nosocomial or secondary infections as a consequence of immune system imbalance as a consequence of the acute infection by the SARS-CoV-2. This manuscript aims to analyse the current scientific literature on the impact of infection by species of the genus Acinetobacter concomitant to COVID-19 severe-ill patients. Carbapenem-resistant strains of Acinetobacter spp. are prevalent almost worldwide, and strains with resistance to Polymyxin, Colistin and other antibiotics emerge as new threats to critically-ill COVID-19 patients. The context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, particularly the use of empirical antibiotic therapy, may contribute to the selection of opportunistic pathogens and promote an increase of multidrug-resistance profiles, leaving as a legacy the proliferation of populations of Acinetobacter spp. hard to control in the hospital environment for the near future.

Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Acinetobacter spp., Secondary infections, Multidrug-resistant pathogens.