The Perfect Enemy | Global COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to drop
May 15, 2024

Global COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to drop

Global cases dropped 76% over the past 28 days, while deaths were down 66%.

A new report from the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency (HSA) shows the rate of bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by Enterococcus has increased in England year over year since 2012.

According to the report, the overall rate of Enterococcus spp. bacteremia was 15.9 per 100,000 population in 2021, up from 14.1 per 100,000 in 2020 and 9.6 per 100,000 in 2012. Rates ranged from 12.5 per 100,000 in the North East of England to 18.8 in the South West, with all regions of the country showing an increase from 2020 to 2021.

The report suggests the increase in Enterococcus spp. bacteremia rates could be linked to the increased number of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) during the pandemic and the subsequent risk of ICU-acquired bacteremia. But it also notes that rates of bacteremia from other pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, declined from 2019 to 2021.

The highest rates of Enterococcus spp. bacteremia were observed in the elderly, with men over 75 having a significantly higher rate than women (106.4 per 100,000 vs 39.8 per 100,000). Men had higher rates in all age groups compared with women, except among those aged 15 to 44 years.

The most frequently identified Enterococcus species from blood cultures in 2021 was Enterococcus faecium (44.5%), followed by E faecalis (40.5%). Antimicrobial resistance in E faecalis bacteremia remained rare in 2021, at around 2% to ampicillin/amoxicillin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin and 1% to linezolid. Resistance of E faecium to teicoplanin increased from 19.5% in 2020 to 22.1% in 2021, while resistance to linezolid increased from 1.3% to 1.9%. Resistance of E faecium to ampicillin/amoxicillin remained high, at 92%.

“The switch from E. faecium becoming the more dominant species in England could have significant treatment implications in light of higher resistance rates compared to those seen in E. faecalis BSI,” the report states.