J Korean Med Sci.  2021 Jun;36(24):e180. 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e180.

Changes in the Occurrence of Gastrointestinal Infections after COVID-19 in Korea

• Ahn SY
• Park JY
• Lim IS
• Chae SA
• Yun SW
• Lee NM
• Kim SY
• Choi BS
• Yi DY

• KMID: 2516769
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e180

Abstract

Background
After the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), lifestyle changes to curb the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., wearing a mask, hand washing, and social distancing) have also affected the outbreak of other infectious diseases. However, few studies have been conducted on whether the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed over the past year with COVID-19. In this study, we examined how the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed since COVID-19 outbreak through open data.
Methods
We summarized the data on the several viruses and bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infections from the open data of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for 3 years from March 2018 to February 2021 (from Spring 2018 to Winter 2020). Moreover, we confirmed three most common legal gastrointestinal infectious pathogens from March 2016.
Results
From March 2020, when the COVID-19 epidemic was in full swing and social distancing and personal hygiene management were heavily emphasized, the incidence of infection from each virus was drastically decreased. The reduction rates compared to the averages of the last 2 years were as follows: total viruses 31.9%, norovirus 40.2%, group A rotavirus 31.8%, enteric adenovirus 13.4%, astrovirus 7.0%, and sapovirus 12.2%. Among bacterial pathogens, the infection rates of Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens did not decrease but rather increased in some periods when compared to the average of the last two years. The incidence of nontyphoidal Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or enteropathogenic Escherichia coli somewhat decreased but not significantly compared to the previous two years.
Conclusion
The incidence of infection from gastrointestinal viruses, which are mainly caused by the fecal-to-oral route and require direct contact among people, was significantly reduced, whereas the incidence of bacterial pathogens, which have food-mediated transmission as the main cause of infection, did not decrease significantly.

Keyword

COVID-19; Enteritis; Colitis; Viral Infection; Bacterial Infection; Incidence Rate

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Incidence of viruses that cause gastrointestinal infections after coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic; confirmed in open data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

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  Fig. 2 Incidence of bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infections after coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic; confirmed in open data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.EPEC = enteropathogenic Escherichia coli.

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  Fig. 3 Incidence of legal infectious diseases that cause gastrointestinal infections after coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic; confirmed in open data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.EHEC = enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

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