A Retrospective Study of Coinfection of SARS-CoV-2 and Streptococcus pneumoniae in 11 Hospitalized Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia at a Single Center

Med Sci Monit. 2020 Nov 14:26:e928754. doi: 10.12659/MSM.928754.

Abstract

BACKGROUND A lethal synergism between the influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae has been identified. However, bacterial coinfection is considered relatively infrequent in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, and the co-prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae is low. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients subsequently admitted to AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital between March 1 and June 30, 2020, with documented SARS-CoV-2 and S. pneumoniae coinfection. RESULTS We identified 11 patients with S. pneumoniae coinfection. The median age was 77 years (interquartile range [IQR], 74-82 years), 45.5% (5/11) were males, 54.5% (6/11) were white, and 90.9% (10/11) were long-term care facility (LTCF) residents. The median length of stay was 7 days (IQR, 6-8 days). Among 11 patients, 4 were discharged in stable condition and 7 had died, resulting in an inpatient mortality rate of 64%. CONCLUSIONS At our center, 11 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who had confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 were diagnosed with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection while in hospital. All patients had pneumonia confirmed on imaging and a nonspecific increase in markers of inflammation. The in-hospital mortality rate of 64% (7 patients) was higher in this group than in previous reports. This study highlights the importance of monitoring bacterial coinfection in patients with viral lung infection due to SARS-CoV-2.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • COVID-19 / immunology
  • COVID-19 / microbiology
  • Coinfection / diagnosis
  • Coinfection / epidemiology*
  • Coinfection / immunology
  • Coinfection / microbiology
  • Datasets as Topic
  • Female
  • Hospital Mortality
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Male
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / diagnosis
  • Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / immunology
  • Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / microbiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology
  • SARS-CoV-2 / isolation & purification
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / immunology
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / isolation & purification