MULTISCALE MODELING APPROACH TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OFANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT FOR COVID-19 ON MRSA TRANSMISSION ANDALTERNATIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY TREATMENT OPTIONS

.methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection can occur alongside or fol-lowing COVID-19, which is a concern in healthcare settings. The effectiveness of antiviral treatmentsfor COVID-19 depends on a functioning immune response, but antibiotics used for bacterial infectionslike MRSA can disrupt the immune response and reduce the effectiveness of antiviral treatments. Theemergence of MRSA due to excessive antibiotic usage has led to the widespread use of vancomycin asan alternative treatment. Immunomodulatory antibiotics like azithromycin may also be considered.To study the dynamics of these coinfections, a multiscale model was developed. Parameter estimationand sensitivity analysis were performed, revealing influential parameters affecting the reproductionnumber. Numerical simulations showed that methicillin (m= 1) increases populations of co-infectedcells (E6), SARS-CoV-2 virus (V2), and MRSA bacteria (BN), and neutrophil populations (N3) re-main unaffected with methicillin. Increasing vancomycin effectiveness from 50% to 90% significantlyreduces MRSA populations in individuals infected with MRSA (BM) and individuals coinfected withCOVID-19 and MRSA (BN), with no notable changes on other cell populations. Similarly, enhancingthe efficacy of immunomodulatory antibiotics (sigma 3) results in an increased neutrophil population (N3)without significant impacts on other cell populations. Higher beta 3values increased individuals coin-fected with COVID-19 and MRSA (ICM) at the between hosts, with no effect on other populationswhile within host cells infected with COVID-19 (E2) significantly increased with higher beta 3and de-creased with lower values. This underscores the coinfection rate's crucial role in promoting coinfectedindividuals, posing epidemiological concerns due to potentially severe health outcomes and acting asreservoirs for both pathogens (SARS-CoV-2 and MRSA bacteria). This study emphasizes the impor-tance of continuous research, surveillance, and the development of effective strategies to combat thecomplexities of COVID-19 and MRSA coinfection