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Review
. 2020 Sep;104(18):7777-7785.
doi: 10.1007/s00253-020-10814-6. Epub 2020 Aug 11.

The microbial coinfection in COVID-19

Xi Chen  1   2 , Binyou Liao  1 , Lei Cheng  1   2 , Xian Peng  1 , Xin Xu  1   2 , Yuqing Li  1 , Tao Hu  1   2 , Jiyao Li  1   2 , Xuedong Zhou  3   4 , Biao Ren  5
Affiliations
Review

The microbial coinfection in COVID-19

Xi Chen et al. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel β-coronavirus, is the main pathogenic agent of the rapidly spreading pneumonia called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects much more people, especially the elder population, around the world than other coronavirus, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, which is challenging current global public health system. Beyond the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, microbial coinfection plays an important role in the occurrence and development of SARS-CoV-2 infection by raising the difficulties of diagnosis, treatment, prognosis of COVID-19, and even increasing the disease symptom and mortality. We summarize the coinfection of virus, bacteria and fungi with SARS-CoV-2, their effects on COVID-19, the reasons of coinfection, and the diagnosis to emphasize the importance of microbial coinfection in COVID-19. KEY POINTS: • Microbial coinfection is a nonnegligible factor in COVID-19. • Microbial coinfection exacerbates the processes of the occurrence, development and prognosis of COVID-19, and the difficulties of clinical diagnosis and treatment. • Different virus, bacteria, and fungi contributed to the coinfection with SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coinfection; Microorganism; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
In patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, coinfection of viruses, bacteria, and fungi is an important factor that cannot be ignored. Coinfection of SARS-CoV-2 with viruses, bacteria, and fungi will increase the difficulty of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of COVID-19, and even increase the symptoms and mortality of the disease. At the same time, coinfected microorganisms may also become a new strategy for the development of new treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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