Abstract
Against the background of a COVID-19 infection, the overlap of bacterial coinfection is associated with an increased risk of poor treatment outcomes. A 76-year-old man was treated for ischemic stroke in the period of one week. During his hospital stay, he showed symptoms of a viral infection, due to which a PCR sample was taken for SARS-CoV-2. The test result was positive. Meningoencephalitis is suspected on the basis of the clinical symptoms shown and the initial blood test. K. pneumonia was detected by a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microbiological examination. The risk of bacterial coinfection with COVID-19 remains unclear. Timely and rapid diagnosis and treatment of bacterial meningitis, in the context of a proven COVID-19 infection, require a variety of biological tests and a multidisciplinary approach. In the early stages of acute bacterial and viral meningitis, the signs and symptoms are often nonspecific and it is not always possible to make a differential diagnosis. Laboratory tests, characterizing COVID-19, should determine the type, prognosis, and outcome of a bacterial coinfection. Refining the laboratory diagnosis of a bacterial infection with COVID-19 is a new challenge for doctors.
Highlights
With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of bacterial coinfection in sick patients have become more frequent
K. pneumonia was detected by a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microbiological examination
Based on the clinical indications and the initial blood test, meningoencephalitis was suspected and a treatment with intravenous antibiotics was started after sending cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for analysis
Summary
With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of bacterial coinfection in sick patients have become more frequent. Its manifestation can be considered as a direct impact of the virus on target organs and systems in humans. There have been reports of some patients developing meningitis due to various bacteria, such as N. meningitides [1] [2] [3]. Diagnosing and treating patients with a highly contagious infection, such as COVID-19, is not easy [4] [5].
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