The Effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Number of Cultures Sent to the Microbiology Laboratory

Year 2022, Volume: 19 Issue: 2, 227 - 229, 28.08.2022

Mehtap Koparal , Sadık Akgün

https://doi.org/10.35440/hutfd.1092506

Abstract

Background: We evaluated the number of ear, nose, throat, phlegm, and wound-site culture samples sent to the Medical Microbiological Laboratory at a University Hospital in Turkey before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 2662 cultures sent to the Laboratory in 2019, 2020, and 2021 were evaluated. The culture samples were categorised by type and year, and the changes over time were assessed.
Results: Of the patients, 1277 (48%) and 1385 (52%) were female and male, respectively. The average of age of the female and male patients was 58.06 and 57.71 years, respectively. The number of cultures differed significantly among 2019, 2020, and 2021 (p ˂ 0.05). The numbers of phlegm, wound site, nose, ear, and throat cultures differed significantly among the years (p ˂ 0.05). The numbers of wound, sputum, and ear cultures decreased after 2019, and those of nasal and throat cultures increased in 2020 and 2021.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic altered the number of cultures being sent to the Labora-tory.

Key Words: COVID-19, pandemic, culture, laboratory

Keywords

COVID-19, pandemic, culture, laboratory, COVID-19, pandemic, culture, laboratory

Covid-19 Pandemisinin Mikrobiyoloji Laboratuvarına Gönderilen Kültür Sayısına Etkisi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı Covid-19 pandemisi sürecinde Türkiye’de bir Üniversite Hastanesi Tıbbı Mikrobiyoloji laboratuvarına gönderilen kulak, burun, boğaz, balgam, yara yeri kültürü numunelerindeki değişikliği pandemi öncesi dönem, pandeminin ilk tespit edildiği yıl ve takip eden süredeki sayısal değişikliğni saptayıp, bu yılları karşılaştırmaktır.
Mataryel ve metod: Bu amaçla 2019,2020 ve 2021 yıllarında Mikrobiyoloji laboratuvarına gönderilen 2662 kültür değerlendirildi. Bu kültür numuleri çeşitlerine ve yıllara göre katagorize edilerek yıllar arasındaki değişim karşılaştırıldı.
Bulgular: Bunların 1277’si (%48) kadın, 1385’i(%52) erkek hastaydı. Kadın hastaların yaş ortalamaları 58,06 erkek hastaların yaş ortalamaları 57,71 idi. Kültür sayıları 2019 yılı ile 2020 ve 2021 yılları arasunda karşılaştırıldığında istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı bulundu( p˂0.05). Balgam, yara yeri, burun, kulak, boğaz kültüründe de yıllar arasında istatiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık bulundu( p˂0.05). 2019 yılından sonra yara, balgam ve kulak kültürleri azalmış, pandemi yıllarında ise burun ve boğaz kültürlerinde artış olmuştur(2020,2021).
Sonuç: Çalışmamız Covid-19 pandemisinin hastalıkların insidansında dolaylı olarak değişikliğe neden olduğunu laboratuvara gelen kültür sayılarındaki anlamlı değişiklik ile saptanmıştır.

Keywords

Covid-19,, Pandemi, Kültür, Laboratuvar

References

• 1 Demirbilek Y, Pehlivantürk G, Özgüler ZÖ, Alp Meşe E. COVID-19 outbreak control, example of ministry of health of Turkey. Turk J Med Sci. 2020 Apr 21;50(SI-1):489-494. 2 Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):497-506.
• 3 Salian VS, Wright JA, Vedell PT, Nair S, Li C, Kandimalla M, et al. COVID-19 Transmission, Current Treatment, and Future Therapeutic Strategies. Mol Pharm. 2021 Mar 1;18(3):754-771.
• 4 Güner R, Hasanoğlu I, Aktaş F. COVID-19: Prevention and control measures in community. Turk J Med Sci. 2020 Apr 21;50(SI-1):571-577.
• 5 Khan S, Priti S, Ankit S. Bacteria Etiological Agents Causing Lower Respiratory Tract Infections and Their Resistance Patterns. Iran Biomed J 2015; 19(4): 240-246.
• 6 Henry BM, Santos de Oliveira MH, Benoit S, Plebania M, Lippia G. Hematologic, biochemical and immune biomarker abnormalities associated with severe illness and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A meta-analysis. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2020 Jun 25;58(7):1021-1028.
• 7 Spelman, Denis W. "2: Hospital‐acquired infections." Medical journal of Australia 176.6 (2002): 286-291.
• 8 Barie PS, Eachempati SR: Surgical site infections, Surg Clin North Am. 2005;85(6):1115-35.
• 9 Bowler PG, Duerden BI, Armstrong DG: Wound microbiology and associated approaches to wound management, Clin Microbiol Rev. 2001;14(2):244- 69
• 10 Yu, Jia-Ning, et al. "COVID-19 related pressure injuries in patients and personnel: A systematic review." Journal of tissue viability. 30.3 (2021): 283-290.
• 11 Evans DJ, Bara AI, Greenstone M. Prolonged antibiotics for purulent bronchiectasis in children and adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;18 (2).
• 12 Cymbala AA, Edmonds LC, Bauer MA, Jederlinic PJ, May JJ, Victory JM, et al. The disease modifying effects of twice weekly oral azithromycin in patients with bronchiectasis. Treat Respir Med. 2005;4(2):117-22.
• 13 Shafran, Noa, et al. "Secondary bacterial infection in COVID-19 patients is a stronger predictor for death compared to influenza patients." Scientific reports. 11.1 (2021): 1-8.
• 14 Graciano AL, Bhutta AT, Custer JW. Reduction in paediatric intensive care admissions during COVID-19 lockdown in Maryland, USA. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2020 Nov 3;4(1):e000876.
• 15 Williams, Anastasia, et al. "A comprehensive review of COVID-19 biology, diagnostics, therapeutics, and disease impacting the central nervous system." Journal of neurovirology 27.5 (2021): 667-690.
• 16 Kayhan, Sanem, and Hatıce Kozan. "Kritik COVID-19 Hastalarında C-Reaktif Protein/Albumin Oranının Prediktif Rolü." Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi 18.3: 361-364.