Abstract
The aim of this study was the detection of infectious agents from lower respiratory tract (LRT) samples in order to describe their distribution in patients with severe acute respiratory failure and hospitalized in intensive care units (ICU) in an Italian tertiary-care hospital. LRT samples from 154 patients admitted to ICU from 27 February to 10 May 2020 were prospectively examined for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, bacteria and/or fungi. SARS-CoV-2 was revealed in 90 patients (58.4%, 72 males, mean age 65 years). No significant difference was observed between SARS-CoV-2 positives and SARS-CoV-2 negatives with regard to sex, age and bacterial and/or fungal infections. Nonetheless, fungi were more frequently detected among SARS-CoV-2 positives (44/54, 81.4%, p = 0.0053). Candida albicans was the overall most frequently isolated agent, followed by Enterococcus faecalis among SARS-CoV-2 positives and Staphylococcus aureus among SARS-CoV-2 negatives. Overall mortality rate was 40.4%, accounting for 53 deaths: 37 among SARS-CoV-2 positives (mean age 69 years) and 16 among SARS-CoV-2 negatives (mean age 63 years). This study highlights the different patterns of infectious agents between the two patient categories: fungi were prevalently involved among SARS-CoV-2-positive patients and bacteria among the SARS-CoV-2-negative patients. The different therapies and the length of the ICU stay could have influenced these different patterns of infectious agents.
Highlights
Introduction nal affiliationsThe novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was reported for the first time in China, inHubei province, in December 2019 and has rapidly spread around the world [1,2,3]
The aim of this study was to detect SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious agents from the lower respiratory tract samples in order to describe their distribution in patients with severe acute respiratory failure hospitalized in intensive care units (ICU) in a tertiary-care hospital, located in the epidemic area of Northern Italy, during the Italian SARS-CoV-2 lockdown [17]
This study, through the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious agents from lower respiratory tract samples, describes their distribution in patients with severe acute respiratory failure admitted to the ICU of the University Hospital of Parma, a tertiary-care hospital located in the epidemic area of Northern Italy, in a 3-month period (27 February–10 May), during the Italian 2020 SARS-CoV-2 lockdown [17]
Summary
Introduction nal affiliationsThe novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was reported for the first time in China, inHubei province, in December 2019 and has rapidly spread around the world [1,2,3]. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was reported for the first time in China, in. 10 May 2020, there have been 3,917,366 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease globally and 274,361 deaths [4]. Most of the cases (1,245,775) and deaths (75,364) were reported in the U.S.A., followed by Spain (223,578 cases and 26,478 deaths), Italy (218,268 cases and 30,395 deaths), the United Kingdom (215,264 cases and 31,587 deaths), the Russian Federation (209,688 cases and 1915 deaths), Germany (169,218 cases and 7395 deaths), Turkey (137,115 cases and 3739 deaths) and France (137,008 cases and 26,268 deaths) [4]. At the time of submission of this manuscript, there have been, globally, 70,476,836 confirmed cases and 1,599,922 deaths; in particular, in Italy, 1,825,775 confirmed cases with. 64,036 deaths have been reported [5].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
