Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Deaths Attributable to Antimicrobial Resistance, Latin America

CIAPPONI, AGUSTÍN; BARDACH, ARIEL; SANDOVAL, MARÍA MACARENA; PALERMO, MARÍA CAROLINA; NAVARRO, EMILIANO; ESPINAL, CARLOS; QUIRÓS, RODOLFO

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

CENTERS DISEASE CONTROL

Año: 2023 vol. 29 p. 2335 - 2344

1080-6040

Antimicrobial resistance is a pressing global health concern, leading to 4.95 million deaths in 2019. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the lethality attributed to infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. A comprehensive search of major databases retrieved relevant studies from 2000–2022. We included 54 observational studies, primarily from Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia. The most commonly studied organism was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The overall unadjusted case fatality rate related to MDROs was 45.0%; higher adjusted lethality was observed in persons infected with MDROs than in those infected with other pathogens (adjusted odds ratio 1.93, 95% CI 1.58–2.37). A higher lethality rate was seen in patients who did not receive appropriate empirical treatment (odds ratio 2.27, 95% CI 1.44–3.56). These findings underscore the increased lethality associated with antimicrobial resistance in Latin America and the Caribbean.