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. 2023 Jul 29;9(9):FSO884.
doi: 10.2144/fsoa-2023-0066. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Investigation of microbial coinfection in 453 septic COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital; a retrospective study

Armin Khavandegar  1 , Zeinab Siami  2   3 , Sogand Goudarzi  4 , Aziz Rasooli  5 , Yeganeh Ettehad  6
Affiliations

Investigation of microbial coinfection in 453 septic COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital; a retrospective study

Armin Khavandegar et al. Future Sci OA. .

Abstract

Aim: We evaluated the rate of COVID-19 microbial coinfection in an Iranian population.

Methods: In this single-center, retrospective observational study, we evaluated 453 septic COVID-19 patients for possible coinfection in an Iranian hospital.

Results: Overall, 211 (46.57%) cases died due to COVID-19 complications. Positive respiratory secretion and blood cultures were reported in 99 (21.9%) and 19 (4.2%) cases. Klebsiella species were the most commonly isolated microorganisms in respiratory (n = 50, 50.5%) and blood (n = 10, 52.6%) specimens. After adjustment for underlying disorders, positive respiratory microbial cultures significantly increase the odds of developing death, intubation, and ICU admission and negatively impact healthy discharge (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Coinfections with bacteria and fungi independently contribute to poor outcomes in septic COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; bacterial coinfection; coinfection; underlying disease.

Plain language summary

COVID-19 bacterial/fungal coinfection is associated with severe mortality rates as it complicates the primary viral infection. This study evaluated 453 patients admitted to an Iranian hospital with COVID-19 and concomitant sepsis for microbial coinfection. A total of 99 (21.9%) cases had positive respiratory secretion cultures, and 19 (4.2%) had positive blood cultures. Klebsiella species were the most commonly yielded microorganism in both respiratory (n = 50, 50.5%) and blood (n = 10, 52.6%) specimens. Bacterial and fungal microbial coinfection are independent determinants of poor outcomes in septic COVID-19 cases.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests disclosure The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest present.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Details of positive cultures based on types of microorganisms in respiratory secretion cultures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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