Coinfections among hospitalized patients with covid-19 in the first pandemic wave

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2021 Nov;101(3):115416. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115416. Epub 2021 May 7.

Abstract

Background: COVID19 is the novel respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. The presence of other potentially pathogenic microorganisms could worsen the prognosis of these patients.

Aim: The study aims to describe coinfections in COVID-19 patients and contrast it between standard ward and critical care patients at Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla (HCDGU).

Methods: A retrospective study was carried out of patients with COVID-19 confirmed with RTPCR admitted to the HCDGU from March 5, 2020 to May 7 of 2020.

Findings: Of a total of 703 patients with COVID-19, 75(10.7%) had other microbiologically confirmed infections: 9% (58/648) in standard ward patients and 31.5%(17/54) in critical care patients. In total 86 samples of the 75 patients presented some microorganism; clinically relevant bacteraemias, 50%, respiratory cultures, 32.6% and pneumococcal positive antigens, 17.4%.

Conclusions: We found a low frequency of microorganism coinfection in COVID-19 patients, however in critical care these coinfections increased considerably.

Keywords: COVID-19; coinfection; hospitalized patients; microorganisms.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Bacteremia / complications
  • Bacteremia / microbiology
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification
  • Bacterial Infections / complications*
  • COVID-19 / complications*
  • Coinfection / diagnosis*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inpatients*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2*