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. 2024 Feb 5;25(1):71.
doi: 10.1186/s12931-024-02708-2.

Viral coinfection in hospitalized patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Brazil: a retrospective cohort study

Jaqueline Rhoden  1   2 , Andressa Taíz Hoffmann  3 , Janaína Franciele Stein  4 , Bruna Seixas da Rocha  4 , Vinícius Monteagudo de Barros  4 , Eduardo Viegas da Silva  5 , Juliane Deise Fleck  4 , Caroline Rigotto  4
Affiliations

Viral coinfection in hospitalized patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Brazil: a retrospective cohort study

Jaqueline Rhoden et al. Respir Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: Since the worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2, different strategies have been followed to combat the pandemic and limit virus transmission. In the meantime, other respiratory viruses continued to circulate, though at decreased rates.

Methods: This study was conducted between June and July 2022, in a hospital in the metropolitan region of Rio Grande do Sul state, in the southernmost state of Brazil. The 337 hospitalized patients included those with respiratory symptoms without delimitation of age. Reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction detected 15 different respiratory viruses and confirmed coinfections in the samples. Different statistical tests were applied to evaluate the association between associations of clinical characteristics and coinfection.

Results: Sampling corresponds to 337 selected and 330 patients analyzed. The principal clinical outcome found was hospital discharge in 309 (94%) cases, while 21 (6%) resulted in death. The principal viral agents related to coinfections were Human rhinovirus, Human enterovirus, and Respiratory syncytial virus. The most frequent viral agent detected was SARS-CoV-2, with 60 (18%) infections, followed by 51 (15%) cases of Respiratory syncytial virus B (15%) and 44 (13%) cases of Human rhinovirus 1. Coinfection was mainly observed in children, while adults and the elderly were more affected by a single infection. Analyzing COVID-19 vaccination, 175 (53%) were unvaccinated while the remainder had at least one dose of the vaccine.

Conclusions: This study presents information to update the understanding of viral circulation in the region. Furthermore, the findings clarify the behavior of viral infections and possible coinfections in hospitalized patients, considering different ages and clinical profiles. In addition, this knowledge can help to monitor the population's clinical manifestations and prevent future outbreaks of respiratory viruses.

Keywords: Infections; Respiratory viruses; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Vaccination status divided by number of patients from each age group
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Vaccination status of SARS-CoV-2 infected divided by age group (n = 60)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Total number of patients with each viral detection and the distribution of single or coinfection
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Distribution of viral infection by age groups
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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