Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Extended-Spectrum Β-Lactamase Producing Escherichia Coli in Urinary Tract and Blood Stream Infections: Results from a Nationwide Surveillance Network, Finland, 2018 to 2022.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a constant increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Escherichia coli, the most common cause of urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production in urine and blood E. coli isolates in Finland to improve our understanding on the source attribution of this major multidrug-resistant pathogen. Susceptibility test results of 564,233 urine (88.3