Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 23;16(8):1180.
doi: 10.3390/v16081180.

Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Viral and Bacterial Coinfections in Hospitalized Children and Adolescents Aged under 18 Years with COVID-19 during the Omicron Wave in Russia

Alexander S Yakovlev  1 , Vladislav V Afanasev  2 , Svetlana I Alekseenko  2   3   4 , Ilmira K Belyaletdinova  5 , Ludmila N Isankina  3 , Irina A Gryaznova  3 , Anatoly V Skalny  6   7 , Liubov I Kozlovskaya  1   8 , Aydar A Ishmukhametov  1   8 , Galina G Karganova  1   8
Affiliations

Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Viral and Bacterial Coinfections in Hospitalized Children and Adolescents Aged under 18 Years with COVID-19 during the Omicron Wave in Russia

Alexander S Yakovlev et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered respiratory infection patterns in pediatric populations. The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and relaxation of public health measures have increased the likelihood of coinfections. Previous studies show conflicting results regarding the impact of viral and bacterial coinfections with SARS-CoV-2 on severity of pediatric disease. This study investigated the prevalence and clinical impact of coinfections among children hospitalized with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 574 hospitalized patients aged under 18 years in Russia, from January 2022 to March 2023. Samples from patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens using qRT-PCR, bacterial culture tests and mass spectrometry, and ELISA. Approximately one-third of COVID-19 cases had coinfections, with viral and bacterial coinfections occurring at similar rates. Adenovirus and Staphylococcus aureus were the most common viral and bacterial coinfections, respectively. Viral coinfections were associated with higher fevers and increased bronchitis, while bacterial coinfections correlated with longer duration of illness and higher pneumonia rates. Non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses were linked to more severe lower respiratory tract complications than SARS-CoV-2 monoinfection. These findings suggest that during the Omicron wave, seasonal respiratory viruses may have posed a greater threat to children's health than SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; adenovirus; bacterial pathogens; coinfections; influenza virus; pediatrics; respiratory viruses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of patients by pathogen groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hale T., Angrist N., Goldszmidt R., Kira B., Petherick A., Phillips T., Webster S., Cameron-Blake E., Hallas L., Majumdar S., et al. A Global Panel Database of Pandemic Policies (Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker) Nat. Hum. Behav. 2021;5:529–538. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01079-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. El-Heneidy A., Ware R.S., Robson J.M., Cherian S.G., Lambert S.B., Grimwood K. Respiratory Virus Detection during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Queensland, Australia. Aust. N. Z. J. Public Health. 2022;46:10–15. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13168. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yakovlev A.S., Belyaletdinova I.K., Mazankova L.N., Samitova E.R., Osmanov I.M., Gavelya N.V., Volok V.P., Kolpakova E.S., Shishova A.A., Dracheva N.A., et al. SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children in Moscow in 2020: Clinical Features and Impact on Circulation of Other Respiratory Viruses: SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children in Moscow in 2020. Int. J. Infect. Dis. 2022;116:331–338. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.358. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chow E.J., Uyeki T.M., Chu H.Y. The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Community Respiratory Virus Activity. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 2023;21:195–210. doi: 10.1038/s41579-022-00807-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dee K., Schultz V., Haney J., Bissett L.A., Magill C., Murcia P.R. Influenza A and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Trigger a Cellular Response That Blocks Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Virus 2 Infection in the Respiratory Tract. J. Infect. Dis. 2023;227:1396–1406. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac494. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources