The Assessment of Multiplex PCR in Identifying Bacterial Infections in Patients Hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review
Iulia Bogdan,
Tejaswi Gadela,
Felix Bratosin,
Catalin Dumitru,
Alin Popescu,
Florin George Horhat,
Rodica Anamaria Negrean,
Razvan Mihai Horhat,
Ion Cristian Mot,
Adrian Vasile Bota,
Carmen Nicoleta Stoica,
Bogdan Feciche,
Andrei Nicolae Csep,
Roxana Manuela Fericean,
Gratiana Nicoleta Chicin,
Iosif Marincu
Affiliations
Iulia Bogdan
Department XIII, Discipline of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Tejaswi Gadela
School of General Medicine, Bhaskar Medical College, Amdapur Road 156-162, Hyderabad 500075, India
Felix Bratosin
Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Catalin Dumitru
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Alin Popescu
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Florin George Horhat
Multidisciplinary Research Center on Antimicrobial Resistance (MULTI-REZ), Microbiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Rodica Anamaria Negrean
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410073 Oradea, Romania
Razvan Mihai Horhat
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Ion Cristian Mot
ENT Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Sq, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Adrian Vasile Bota
Methodological and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Carmen Nicoleta Stoica
Oradea Emergency Clinical Hospital, Infectious Diseases Department, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Bogdan Feciche
Department of Urology, Satu-Mare County Emergency Hospital, Strada Ravensburg 2, 440192 Satu-Mare, Romania
Andrei Nicolae Csep
Department of Psycho-Neuroscience and Recovery, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania
Roxana Manuela Fericean
Department XIII, Discipline of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Gratiana Nicoleta Chicin
Faculty of General Medicine, “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad, Bulevardul Revolutiei 94, 310025 Arad, Romania
Iosif Marincu
Methodological and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Bacterial infection can occur in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 in various conditions, resulting in poorer outcomes, such as a higher death rate. This current systematic review was conducted in order to assess the efficiency of multiplex PCR in detecting bacterial infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, as well as to analyze the most common bacterial pathogens and other factors that interfere with this diagnosis. The research was conducted using four electronic databases (PubMed, Taylor&Francis, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library). Out of 290 studies, nine were included in the systematic review. The results supported the use of multiplex PCR in detecting bacteria, considering its high sensitivity and specificity rates. The most common bacterial pathogens found were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae. The median age at admission was 61.5 years, and the majority of patients were men (70.3%), out of a total of 1553 patients. The proportion of ICU admission was very high, with a pooled proportion of 52.6% over the analyzed studies, and an average duration of hospitalization of 13 days. The mortality rate was proportionally high, as was the rate of ICU admission, with a pooled mortality of 24.9%. It was discovered that 65.2% of all patients used antibiotics before admission, with or without medical prescription. Antibiotic treatment should be considered consciously, considering the high risks of developing antibiotic resistance.