microbiological profile of multidrug resistant bacteria before and during covid-19 in chu mohammed vi

Background and objectives: a new type of corona virus has caused corona virus disease-19 and, subsequently, a global pandemic. all individuals are prone to the disease, so drastic measures were taken to prevent its spread. this study aimed to evaluate the impact of covid-19 on the progression of the antimicrobial resistance rate by comparing two periods: before and during covid-19. materials and methods: we used a cross-sectional design to investigate the antimicrobial resistance (amr) rate before (03/2019 to 03/2020) and during covid-19 (03/2020 to 03/2021) in a university hospital in marrakech. the data were analyzed using spss version 25.0. results: among the 7106 specimens, there was a significant increase in the multidrug-resistant bacterial from 27.38% to 35.87% during covid-19 (p<0.001), particularly in blood culture, cerebrospinal fluid, catheter, and pus. however, there was a non-significant change in puncture fluid, expectoration, protected distal sampling, joint fluid, stool culture, and genital sampling. a decrease in multidrug-resistant bacteria (mdrb) was observed only in cytobacteriological urine tests (p<0.05). according to species, there was an increase in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae, carbapen- em-resistant enterobacteriaceae, and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. conclusion: in our study, it is particularly noticeable that the mdrb has increased. these results highlight the importance that the pandemic has not been able to slow the progression.