Persistent COVID-19: A Case Report of an Immunocompromised Patient and a Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Immunocompromised patients can show prolonged shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and persistent symptoms, which is called persistent COVID-19.

Case presentation: We report a case of an immunocompromised patient who was treated for mantle cell lymphoma and was suffering from B-cell depletion. The patient developed persistent COVID-19, which was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests in only sputum and bronchoalveolar fluid which remained positive for at least 112 days. The patient was successfully treated with SARS-CoV-2 convalescent plasma.

Conclusion: It could be of interest to investigate the RT-PCR results of SARS-CoV-2 in sputum/bronchoalveolar lavage samples from immunocompromised patients with unexplained pneumonia.

Keywords: B-cell depletion; Convalescent plasma; Immunocompromised patients; Persistent COVID-19; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.