Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

en Procalcitonin Level and Antimicrobial Resistance among Microbial Coinfection in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients میکروب شناسی Microbiology مقالات اصلی Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are at a higher risk of bacterial and fungal infections. Procalcitonin is an inflammatory marker that has been suggested for distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections that predicting bacterial co-infection in COVID-19 and serving as a helpful indicator for determining the severity of the illness. This study aimed to evaluate procalcitonin levels and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among microbial co-infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: Clinical and microbiological data were obtained from the medical records of 100 COVID-19 patients. Results: COVID-19 patients with bacterial infections had a 55% mortality rate. The majority of microbial cultures were detected in blood (49%), sputum (44%), and urine (7%). Among the isolates, 57.7% were Gram-negative bacteria, 31.7% were Gram-positive bacteria, 6.7% were mixed isolates, and 3.8% were fungal isolates. The predominant Gram-negative isolates were Klebsiella pneumoniae (37.2%), Acinetobacter baumannii (20.2%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (14.4%). Candida albicans (2.9%) was the most commonly isolated fungal pathogen, followed by Aspergillus spp. (1%). Most of the isolates showed high resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Gram-negative bacteria were detected in 29% of COVID-19 patients who died, Gram-positive bacteria in 20%, and mixed bacteria in 6%. The majority of surviving patients had procalcitonin levels below 0.25 ng/mL, whereas non- survivors had higher levels. Conclusion: Secondary microbial infections in COVID-19 patients remain a critical concern during the pandemic. Additionally, multidrug-resistant organisms are an increasing challenge. In hospitalized COVID-19 patients, baseline procalcitonin levels were associated with patient outcomes and bacterial coinfection.</div> Antibiotics resistance (AMR), COVID-19, Procalcitonin level, Secondary infection. 474 483 http://rbmb.net/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1672-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Abdulqadr Khdir Hamad 100319475328460021437 100319475328460021437 No Medical Laboratory Science Department, College of Science, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah 46012, Iraq. Suhayla Hamad Shareef : suhayla.shareef@su.edu.krd 100319475328460021438 100319475328460021438 Yes Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq & Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Chiman Hameed Saeed 100319475328460021439 100319475328460021439 No Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Erbil Technical Health & Medical College, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Ramiar Kamal Kheder 100319475328460021440 100319475328460021440 No Medical Laboratory Science Department, College of Science, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah 46012, Iraq. Pshtiwan Dhahir Majeed 100319475328460021441 100319475328460021441 No Department of Nursing, Erbil Medical Technical Institute, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.