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To gain better insight into the extent of secondary bacterial and fungal infections in hospitalized patients in India, and to assess how these alter the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) so that control measures can be suggested.In this retrospective, multicentre study, the data of all patients who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), admitted to hospital between March 2020 and July 2021, were accessed from the electronic health records of a network of 10 hospitals across five states in North India.Of 19,852 patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR and admitted to the study hospitals during the study period, 1940 (9.8%) patients developed secondary infections (SIs). Patients with SIs were, on average, 8 years older than patients without SIs (median age 62.6 vs 54.3 years;SIs complicate the course of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. These patients tend to have a much longer hospital stay, a higher requirement for oxygen and ICU care, and a significantly higher mortality rate compared with those without SIs. The groups most vulnerable to SIs are patients with more severe COVID-19, elderly patients and patients with diabetes. Judicious empirical use of combination antimicrobials in these groups of vulnerable patients can save lives. It is desirable to have region- or country-specific guidelines for appropriate use of antibiotics and antifungals to prevent their overuse.

Invasive candidiasis has emerged as an important nosocomial infection, especially in critically ill patients. The incidence of candidaemia in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is 5- to 10-fold higher than in the entire hospital and the crude mortality rate of patients with candidaemia is between 35% and 60%. Candida albicans remains the predominant cause of invasive candidiasis in ICUs, followed by Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis. Invasive isolates of Candida spp. remain highly susceptible to fluconazole (>90% susceptible), although among Asia-Pacific countries the susceptibility rate of C. glabrata to fluconazole varies widely from 22% to 72%. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of antifungal therapy are crucial for the effective treatment of invasive candidiasis. However, invasive candidiasis is difficult to diagnose owing to its non-specific clinical features, and delayed therapy is a major contributor to poor outcomes. Combining clinical risk factors with Candida colonisation parameters appears promising for guiding early interventions. Because of considerable regional variability, local epidemiological knowledge is critical in the effective management of invasive candidiasis among ICU patients in Asia-Pacific.