Aspergillus infections in intensive care units: Before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Aspergillus species have begun to cause invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) with increasing frequency in patients with known risk factors in intensive care units (ICU). An international multicenter cohort study (AspICU) established criteria for diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in intensive care units. In our study, patients with Aspergillus spp. growth in deep tracheal aspirate (DTA) samples in ICU were evaluated according to AspICU criteria.Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective study. DTA samples were collected from the Pandemic and Reanimation ICU and performed in the Medical Microbiology Laboratory by separated two periods; pre-pandemic (1 March 2019-31 December 2019) and post-pandemic (1 March 2020-31 December 2020). Cases with Aspergillus spp. growth in the DTA samples in the Pandemic ICU were evaluated as COVID 19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) according to AspICU criteria.Results: While Aspergillus spp. was grown in the DTA of three patients in 2019 and five patients in 2020 in the Reanimation ICU, and 11 patients in the Pandemic ICU. Growths belonging to one patient from both Reanimation (2019) and Pandemic ICUs were considered as colonization. Other growths were interpreted as IPA according to AspICU criteria. When the incidence rates according to 10000 patient days were compared, the incidence rate increased significantly in 2020 (19.1) (p< 0.001) compared to 2019 (3.4); In 2020, it was determined that it increased significantly in the Pandemic ICU (40.4) (p< 0.001) compared to Reanimation ICU (9.2).Conclusion: It should not be forgotten that intensive care patients are also at risk for IPA, especially after viral infections (such as COVID-19, Influenza). Although the incidence of IPA was not very high, it was observed that it tended to increase according to our study. The diagnosis of IPA is problematic, therefore it is necessary to increase awareness and sample diversity and to use biomarkers more widely other than hematology patients.