Co-infections In COVID-19 Patients Research Articles

Staphylococcus aureus Co-Infection in COVID-19 Patients: Virulence Genes and Their Influence on Respiratory Epithelial Cells in Light of Risk of Severe Secondary Infection

Pandemics from viral respiratory tract infections in the 20th and early 21st centuries were associated with high mortality, which was not always caused by a primary viral infection. It has been observed that severe course of infection, complications and mortality were often the result of co-infection with other pathogens, especially Staphylococcus aureus. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also noticed that patients infected with S. aureus had a significantly higher mortality rate (61.7%) compared to patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 alone. Our previous studies have shown that S. aureus strains isolated from patients with COVID-19 had a different protein profile than the strains in non-COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this study aims to analyze S. aureus strains isolated from COVID-19 patients in terms of their pathogenicity by analyzing their virulence genes, adhesion, cytotoxicity and penetration to the human pulmonary epithelial cell line A549. We have observed that half of the tested S. aureus strains isolated from patients with COVID-19 had a necrotizing effect on the A549 cells. The strains also showed greater variability in terms of their adhesion to the human cells than their non-COVID-19 counterparts.

Inflammatory markers and lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients with respiratory bacterial Co-infection: Clinical implications

Respiratory bacterial co-infections are frequently observed in COVID-19 patients. This retrospective study analysed clinical data from patients with COVID-19 and respiratory bacterial co-infections compared to those with COVID-19 alone. The findings suggest that inflammatory markers and lymphocyte subsets may be valuable for the early identification of co-infections in COVID-19 patients.

Cyclic-di-GMP induces inflammation and acute lung injury through direct binding to MD2.

Severe bacterial infections can trigger acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome, with bacterial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) exacerbating the inflammatory response, particularly in COVID-19 patients. Cyclic-di-GMP (CDG), one of the PAMPs, is synthesized by various Gram-positve and Gram-negative bacteria. Previous studies mainly focused on the inflammatory responses triggered by intracellular bacteria-released CDG. However, how extracellular CDG, which is released by bacterial autolysis or rupture, activates the inflammatory response remains unclear. The interaction between extracellular CDG and myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD2) was investigated using in vivo and in vitro models. MD2 blockade was achieved using specific inhibitor and genetic knockout mice. Site-directed mutagenesis, co-immunoprecipitation, SPR and Bis-ANS displacement assays wereused to identify the potential binding sites of MD2 on CDG. Our data show that extracellular CDG directly interacts with MD2,leading to activation of the TLR4signalling pathway and lung injury. Specific inhibitors or genetic knockout of MD2 in mice significantly alleviated CDG-induced lung injury. Moreover, isoleucine residues at positions 80 and 94, along with phenylalanine at position 121, are essential for the binding of MD2 to CDG. These results reveal that extracellular CDG induces lung injury through direct interaction with MD2 and activation of the TLR4 signalling pathway, providing valuable insights into bacteria-induced ALI mechanisms and new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of bacterial co-infection in COVID-19 patients.

Investigation of Respiratory Pathogens Responsible for Coinfection in COVID-19 Patients

Investigation of Respiratory Pathogens Responsible for Coinfection in COVID-19 Patients

SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Co-Infection: Fair Competition or Sinister Combination?

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious public health problem globally. During winter influenza seasons, more aggressive SARS-CoV-2 infections and fatalities have been documented, indicating that influenza co-infections may significantly impact the disease outcome of COVID-19. Both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses share many similarities in their transmission and their cellular tropism for replication in the human respiratory tract. However, the complex intricacies and multi-faceted dynamics of how the two pathogens interact to ensure their survival in the same lung microenvironment are still unclear. In addition, clinical studies on influenza co-infections in COVID-19 patients do not provide conclusive evidence of how influenza co-infection mechanistically modifies disease outcomes of COVID-19. This review discusses various viral as well as host factors that potentially influence the survival or synergism of these two respiratory pathogens in the infected lung microenvironment.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors for bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients: A retrospective study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyse the bacterial composition, distribution, drug sensitivity, and clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who develop bacterial co-infections. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 184 patients with COVID-19 admitted between December 2022 and January 2023. Data on gender, age, length of hospital stay, pneumonia classification, underlying diseases, invasive surgery, hormone therapy, inflammation indicators, and other relevant information were collected. Samples of sputum, bronchoscopy sputum, alveolar lavage fluid, middle urine, puncture fluid, wound secretions, and blood were collected for pathogen isolation, identification, and drug sensitivity testing. ResultsThe majority of patients with COVID-19 with bacterial co-infection were elderly and had underlying diseases. Invasive surgery and hormone therapy were identified as risk factors for co-infections. Laboratory analysis showed reduced lymphocyte counts and elevated levels of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin. The most common pathogens in co-infections were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The detection rate of drug-resistant strains, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus, carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant E. coli, increased with the severity of pneumonia. ConclusionRespiratory tract infections were the most common site of bacterial co-infection in patients with COVID-19. Severe cases were more susceptible to multidrug-resistant pathogens, leading to a higher mortality rate. Timely control and prevention of co-infection are crucial for improving the prognosis of patients with COVID-19.

Mean Blood Glucose Level During ICU Hospitalization is a Strong Predictor of the Mortality of COVID-19.

To investigate the potential prognostic value of mean blood glucose (MBG) in hospital for prognosis of COVID-19 adult patients in the intensive unit care unit (ICU). A single-site and retrospective study enrolled 107 patients diagnosed as COVID-19 from department of critical care medicine in the Second Xiangya Hospital between October 2022 and June 2023. Demographic information including glucose during ICU hospitalization, comorbidity, clinical data, types of medications and treatment, and clinical outcome were collected. The multivariate logistic and cox regression was used to explore the relationship between blood glucose changes and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 during ICU stay. In total, 107 adult patients confirmed with COVID-19 were included. Multivariate logistic regression results showed an increase in MBG was associated with ICU mortality rate. Compared with normal glucose group (MBG <= 7.8 mmol/L), the risk of ICU mortality, 7-day mortality and 28-day mortality from COVID-19 were significantly increased in high glucose group (MBG >7.8mmol/L). MBG level during ICU hospitalization was strongly correlated to all-cause mortality and co-infection in COVID-19 patients. These findings further emphasize the importance of overall glucose management in severe cases of COVID-19.

Clinical and immunologic features of co-infection in COVID-19 patients, along with potential traditional Chinese medicine treatments.

With the increasing number of people worldwide infected with SARS-CoV-2, the likelihood of co-infection and/or comorbidities is rising. The impact of these co-infections on the patient's immune system remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the immunological characteristics of secondary infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and preliminarily predict potential therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine and their derivatives for the treatment of co-infections. In this retrospective cohort study, we included 131 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, of whom there were 64 mild and 67 severe cases. We analyzed clinical characteristics and immunologic data, including circulating immune cell numbers, levels of inflammatory factors and viral load, comparing COVID-19 patients with and without co-infection. Among 131 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 41 (31.3%) were co-infection positive, with 33 (80.5%) having severe disease and 14 (34.1%) of them resulting in fatalities. Co-infected patients exhibited significantly higher severity and mortality rates compared to non-co-infected counterparts. Co-infected patients had significantly lower absolute counts of lymphocytes, total T lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and B lymphocytes, while levels of hs-CRP, PCT and IL-6 were significantly elevated compared to non-co-infected patients. Additionally, the viral load of co-infected patients was significantly higher than non-co-infected patients. Co-infection emerges as a dangerous factor for COVID-19 patients, elevating the risk of severe pneumonia and mortality. Co-infection suppresses the host's immune response by reducing the number of lymphocytes and increasing inflammation, thereby diminishing the antiviral and anti-infective effects of the immune system, which promotes the severity of the disease. Therefore, it is crucial to implement infection prevention measures to minimize the spread of co-infections among COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Additionally, changes in these biomarkers provide a theoretical basis for the effective treatment of co-infections with traditional Chinese medicine.

Epidemiology of fungal infection in COVID 19 in Spain during 2020 and 2021: a nationwide study

We realize a nationwide population-based retrospective study to analyze the characteristics and risk factors of fungal co-infections in COVID-19 hospitalized patients as well as describe their causative agents in the Spanish population in 2020 and 2021. Data were obtained from records in the Minimum Basic Data Set of the National Surveillance System for Hospital Data in Spain, provided by the Ministry of Health, and annually published with two years lag. The assessment of the risk associated with the development of healthcare-associated fungal co-infections was assessed using an adjusted logistic regression model. The incidence of fungal co-infection in COVID-19 hospitalized patients was 1.41%. The main risk factors associated were surgery, sepsis, age, male gender, obesity, and COPD. Co-infection was associated with worse outcomes including higher in-hospital and in ICU mortality, and higher length of stay. Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. were the microorganisms more frequent. This is the first study analyzing fungal coinfection at a national level in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Spanish population and one of the few studies available that demonstrate that surgery was an independent risk factor of Aspergillosis coinfection in COVID-19 patients.

Characterization of Coinfections in Patients with COVID-19.

Little is known about coinfections in patients with COVID-19, with antibiotics often initiated empirically. To determine the rates and characteristics of early and late coinfections in COVID-19 patients and to characterize the use of anti-infective agents, especially antibiotics. This retrospective chart review involved patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to Lions Gate Hospital (Vancouver, British Columbia) between January 1 and June 30, 2020. Data were extracted from electronic medical records, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Of the 48 patients admitted during the study period, 10 (21%) were determined to have coinfections: 3 (6%) had early coinfections and 7 (15%) had late coinfections. Early empiric use of antibiotics was observed in 32 (67%) patients; for 29 (91%) of these 32 patients, the therapy was deemed inappropriate. Patients with coinfections had longer hospital stays and more complications. Despite low rates of early coinfection, empiric antibiotics were started for a majority of the patients. Most late coinfections occurred in patients in the intensive care unit who required mechanical ventilation. Patients with coinfections had poorer outcomes than those without coinfections.

COVID-19 Second Wave with Mucormycosis, a Deadly Combination: A Systemic Review

COVID-19 infection caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 may be related to an extensive range of disease patterns encompassing from mild to deadly pneumonia. At present COVID-19 pandemic situation, mucormycosis is spreading very fast and has become a severe problem for people who suffered and recovered from COVID-19. For the present study, databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched and summarized. Low immunity, high use of corticosteroids, haematological malignancy and chemotherapy, poorly controlled diabetes, solid-organ transplant recipients on immunosuppressive therapy, on peritoneal dialysis, extensive skin injury, HIV infections predominantly provide suitable condition for infection of mucormycosis. This is especially challenging for people with hyperglycemia who are unable to manage their sugar levels during COVID-19. During the second wave of COVID-19, two forms of mucormycosis, rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis and pulmonary mucormycosis, have frequently been reported in active, recovering, or postdischarge COVID-19 patients. In maximum cases, lavage surgery may ultimately be mandatory to eradicate necrotic material on the skin. It can be treated with a proper antifungal treatment if the condition is detected at an early stage. In India, more than 51,775 cases of post-COVID-19 secondary infection of mucormycosis have been reported. There is no significant published data regarding coinfection in COVID-19 patients with systemic mycoses that led to serious difficulty and mortality till date. For general awareness of people, the present articles deal with COVID-19-associated high-risk coactive fungal infection, their mode of transmission, systemic position, symptoms, invasion type, and protocol use for the treatment.

Bacterial co-infections and secondary infections and their antimicrobial resistance in Covid-19 patients during the second pandemic wave.

COVID-19 pneumonia with an unusual outbreak is considered a new, global public health threat. Microbiological characterization of co-infections in patients with COVID-19 is important, and antimicrobial use is high. We aimed to describe microbiologically confirmed co-infections and the antimicrobial resistance of the causative pathogens. From January to December 2020, we tested 1,301 patients who were COVID-19 positive. We received clinical samples (blood, respiratory and sterile body fluids) of COVID-19 patients who were suspected to have bacterial co-infections. Samples were processed and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed based on the CLSI recommendation. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and outcome data of those with positive cultures were collected. A total of 1301 COVID-19 patients (568 from the COVID ward and 733 from ICU) were admitted to the Covid care ward of a tertiary care hospital. 363 samples were sent for culturing and testing antibiotic susceptibility, of which 131 (36%) were found to be culture-positive (90 from ICUs, 41 from wards). Out of the 143 total isolates thus obtained from 131 samples, the majority (62.2%) were Gram-negative bacteria, and most of them were (70.8%) multidrug resistant. Bacterial co-infection in patients with COVID-19 is more commonly reported in the severely ill hospitalized individuals (58%), particularly in the ICU (73.3%) setting. In terms of mortality, almost half of co-infected patients died (51.1%). In most of them, the cause of death was found to be sepsis with post-COVID ARDS (58%). Co-infection in COVID-19 patients may affect the outcome in terms of increasing the hospital stay.

The prognostic value of angiotensin I converting enzyme gene polymorphism and streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection in COVID-19 patients

The prognostic value of angiotensin I converting enzyme gene polymorphism and streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection in COVID-19 patients

EPH123 A Machine Augmented Systematic Literature Review: Prevalence of Coinfections in COVID-19 Patients During Early and Late Pandemic Periods

EPH123 A Machine Augmented Systematic Literature Review: Prevalence of Coinfections in COVID-19 Patients During Early and Late Pandemic Periods

Antibiotic Use in Patients With COVID-19

Abstract Introduction Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to public health. The ongoing antimicrobial resistance pandemic has been fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We analyzed patients 15 years or older with COVID-19 who were admitted to a teaching hospital in Mashhad, Iran, during the period between the third and fourth COVID-19 waves. COVID-19 was diagnosed if the SARS-COV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) polymerase chain reaction test was positive in patients with compatible clinical syndromes. Results Overall, 532 episodes of COVID-19 were diagnosed. The median age of patients was 61 years (interquartile range, 48–73). One hundred twenty-five patients (23.4%) with COVID-19 died, and 165 (31%) experienced major complications. Over the study period, 134 DDD (defined daily dose) per 100 hospital bed days of antibacterial were used. Glycopeptides, third-generation cephalosporins, and carbapenems were the antibacterials most frequently used, based on the DDD per 100 hospital bed days. In a multivariate analysis, factors associated with antibacterial prescription in COVID-19 patients were lung involvement of greater than 50% (odds ratio [OR], 14.6), C-reactive protein of greater than 100 mg/L (OR, 3.35), and hypoxia (OR, 3.06). Univariate but not multivariate analysis showed that antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients was associated with 4 times increase in the chance of death (OR, 4.23). Conclusion Our study highlights a high rate of antibacterial use in COVID-19 patients. Hypoxia, C-reactive protein of greater than 100 mg/L, and severe lung involvement were associated with a higher rate of antibacterial prescription. The patients who received antibiotics died 4.23 times more often than patients treated without antibiotics. These findings emphasize the need for integrating antimicrobial stewardship programs as an integral part of the pandemic response and the need for improving diagnostic tests for early detection of bacterial coinfections in COVID-19 patients.

Secondary Infection and Co-infection in COVID-19 Patients Receiving Tocilizumab

Secondary Infection and Co-infection in COVID-19 Patients Receiving Tocilizumab

Differences in RDW Values of COVID-19 Patients with Pneumonia and Without Pneumonia at RSUM and RSUDP NTB

Pneumonia coinfection in COVID-19 patients can be an important risk factor for patient mortality. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a predictor that can determine clinical outcomes in patients with respiratory tract infections and serious illnesses, so researchers want to conduct research to determine the difference in RDW values in COVID-19 patients with and without pneumonia at RSUM and RSUDP NTB. The design of this research is cross sectional. The sampling technique used was consecutive sampling. There were 110 COVID-19 patient data used in this research. Data collection uses medical record notes. The statistical analysis used was the Mann-Whitney test. The average age of patients was 48 years ± 16 years. Most of the subjects were male (53.6%). The most common comorbidity was diabetes mellitus (21.8%). The average RDW values in COVID-19 patients with and without pneumonia were 13.9% and 13.1%. The difference in the mean RDW value in the two groups is 0.8%. This study found that clinically there were differences in the RDW values of COVID-19 patients with pneumonia and without pneumonia at RSUM and RSUDP NTB.

Evaluation of serum procalcitonin level as a biomarker for disease severity in Covid-19 patients: The experience of Mohammed VI University Hospital in Oujda.

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has infected millions of individuals around the globe. The current study was aimed to evaluate the serum procalcitonin (PCT) level as a biomarker for bacterial co-infection and disease severity in Covid-19 patients. A total of 319 Covid-19 positive patients were examined in this study. Among the total individuals, 169 (53%) were male while 150 (47%) were female. Among the examined samples, 142 (44.5%) were hospitalized in Covid services, and 177(55.5%) were admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU). The mean PCT level for Covid-19 services patients was 0.58 ng/mL and for ICU patients was 7.84 ng/mL. The statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant association of PCT value and age (P&lt;0,0001) while there was no association of gender and PCT value in COVID-19 patients (P=0.2745). Most Covid-19 patients have low PCT levels but elevated markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein (CRP) on admission. It can be concluded that the serial PCT measurement could determine the prognosis of disease and presence of bacterial co-infection in Covid-19 patients. The main objective of our study is to determine the role of serum procalcitonin in the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with COVID-19 from Oriental Region of Morocco, also we evaluate the correlation between Procalcitonin and disease severity in COVID-19. We report the experience of the Moroccan Mohammed VI University Hospital of Oujda.

Secondary pulmonary infection and co-infection in elderly COVID-19 patients during the pandemics in a tertiary general hospital in Beijing, China.

Most people are infected with COVID-19 during pandemics at the end of 2022. Older patients were more vulnerable. However, the incidence of secondary bacterial, fungal or viral pulmonary infection and co-infection is not well described in elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all elderly (≥65 years) hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from December 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023. Demographics, underlying diseases, treatments, and laboratory data were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the risk factors associated with secondary bacterial, fungal or viral pulmonary infection and co-infection. A total of 322 older patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The incidence of secondary bacterial, fungal or viral pulmonary infection and co-infection was 27.3% (88/322) and 7.5% (24/322), respectively. The overall in-hospital mortality of all patients was 32.9% (106/322), and the in-hospital mortality among patients who acquired with secondary pulmonary infection and co-infection was 57.0% (57/100). A total of 23.9% (77/322) of patients were admitted to ICU within 48 h of hospitalization. The incidence of secondary pulmonary infection and co-infection among patients admitted to the ICU was 50.6% (39/77) and 13.0% (10/77), respectively. The overall in-hospital mortality of ICU patients was 48.1% (37/77), and the in-hospital mortality of ICU patients acquired with secondary pulmonary infection and co-infection was 61.4% (27/44). A total of 83.5% (269/322) of the included patients received empirical antibiotic therapy before positive Clinical Microbiology results. Influenza A virus (the vast majority were the H3N2 subtype) was the most common community acquired pathogen for co-infection. While A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa were the common hospital acquired pathogens for co-infection and secondary pulmonary infection. The incidence of Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (CR-GNB) infections was high, and the mortality reached 76.9%. Predictors of secondary pulmonary infection and co-infection were ICU admission within 48 h of hospitalization, cerebrovascular diseases, critical COVID-19, and PCT > 0.5 ng/mL. The prognosis for elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients with secondary pulmonary infection or co-infection is poor. The inflammatory biomarker PCT > 0.5 ng/mL played an important role in the early prediction of secondary pulmonary infection and co-infection in COVID-19 patients.

Typing of Candida spp. from Colonized COVID-19 Patients Reveal Virulent Genetic Backgrounds and Clonal Dispersion.

Advances in the knowledge of the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 allowed the survival of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. However, due to the clinical characteristics of severe patients, they resulted in the appearance of colonization events. Therefore, we speculate that strains of Candida spp. isolated from COVID-19 patients have virulent genetic and phenotypic backgrounds involved in clinical worsening of patients. The aim of this work was to virutype Candida spp. strains isolated from colonized COVID-19 patients, analyze their genomic diversity, and establish clonal dispersion in care areas. The virulent potential of Candida spp. strains isolated from colonized COVID-19 patients was determined through adhesion tests and the search for genes involved with adherence and invasion. Clonal association was done by analysis of intergenic spacer regions. Six species of Candida were involved as colonizing pathogens in COVID-19 patients. The genotype analysis revealed the presence of adherent and invasive backgrounds. The distribution of clones was identified in the COVID-19 care areas, where C. albicans was the predominant species. Evidence shows that Candida spp. have the necessary genetic tools to be able colonize the lungs, and could be a possible causal agent of coinfections in COVID-19 patients. The detection of dispersion of opportunistic pathogens can be unnoticed by classical epidemiology. Epidemiological surveillance against opportunistic fungal pathogens in COVID-19 patients is an immediate need, since the findings presented demonstrate the potential virulence of Candida spp.