Bacteriuria and antibiotic use during the third wave of COVID-19 intensive care in Sweden.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent among patients carrying indwelling catheters in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study investigates antibiotic use and bacterial colonisation among ICU patients during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, building on our prior discovery of increased colonisation associated with increased cephalosporin use in early COVID-19.

Methods: Longitudinal urine samples from COVID-19 patients ( = 109) with transurethral catheterisation were analysed for bacterial prevalence, further identified via MALDI-TOF.