tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Gene Rep
. 2022 Jun;27:101588.
doi: 10.1016/j.genrep.2022.101588. Epub 2022 Mar 8.
Fungal and bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract among patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in intensive care units
Zahra Rafat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alireza Ramandi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pegah Afarinesh Khaki[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Saham Ansari[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sara Ghaderkhani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Hassan Haidar[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Faezeh Tajari[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Davoud Roostaei[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Roshanak Daei Ghazvini[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Seyed Jamal Hashemi[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Alireza Abdollahi[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Hasti Kamali Sarvestani[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Backgrounds: The pandemic of COVID-19 has created a global public health crisis. ICU patients with COVID-19 are prone to infections of bacterial and/or fungal origins due to several risk factors. Consequently, the current study was conducted to evaluate the frequency, demographic characteristics, underlying conditions, and etiologic agents of fungal and bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract among ICU patients with COVID-19 in Iran.
Materials and methods: From May to October 2020, sputa and endotracheal aspirates were collected from ICU patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who also were suspected of bacterial and/or fungal co-infections according to inclusion criteria. The etiologic agents of bacterial co-infections were identified using the Vitek 2 identification method. For fungal identification, all samples were analyzed by direct microscopy using KOH 10% and culture. Furthermore, all isolates were subjected to sequencing method.
Results: A total of 73 lung specimens were obtained from patients who met the inclusion criteria. Of these, in 15 cases (20.54%) fungal and/or bacterial co-infections were confirmed. Males were more infected (73.33%) and all of them were between 49 and 79 years. Candida albicans (n = 8, 61.53%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 5, 38.46%) were the most frequent etiologic agents related to fungal and bacterial co-infections, respectively. Pneumonia (n = 15, 100%) and diabetes mellitus (n = 8, 53.33%) were documented as the most prevalent underlying conditions. In the current study, 3 out of 15 patients (20%) died.
Conclusion: The frequency of bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract in ICU patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was relatively high. According to the results, one of the causes of death of these patients could be a secondary infection.
Keywords: BHI, Brain Heart Infusion; Bacterial infections; COVID-19; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; Coinfection; Fungal infection; Iran; Respiratory tract; SARS-CoV-2, Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2; SDA, Sabouraud Dextrose Agar.
. 2022 Jun;27:101588.
doi: 10.1016/j.genrep.2022.101588. Epub 2022 Mar 8.
Fungal and bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract among patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in intensive care units
Zahra Rafat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alireza Ramandi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pegah Afarinesh Khaki[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Saham Ansari[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sara Ghaderkhani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Hassan Haidar[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Faezeh Tajari[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Davoud Roostaei[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Roshanak Daei Ghazvini[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Seyed Jamal Hashemi[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Alireza Abdollahi[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Hasti Kamali Sarvestani[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35281669
- PMCID: PMC8902060
- DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2022.101588
Abstract
Backgrounds: The pandemic of COVID-19 has created a global public health crisis. ICU patients with COVID-19 are prone to infections of bacterial and/or fungal origins due to several risk factors. Consequently, the current study was conducted to evaluate the frequency, demographic characteristics, underlying conditions, and etiologic agents of fungal and bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract among ICU patients with COVID-19 in Iran.
Materials and methods: From May to October 2020, sputa and endotracheal aspirates were collected from ICU patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who also were suspected of bacterial and/or fungal co-infections according to inclusion criteria. The etiologic agents of bacterial co-infections were identified using the Vitek 2 identification method. For fungal identification, all samples were analyzed by direct microscopy using KOH 10% and culture. Furthermore, all isolates were subjected to sequencing method.
Results: A total of 73 lung specimens were obtained from patients who met the inclusion criteria. Of these, in 15 cases (20.54%) fungal and/or bacterial co-infections were confirmed. Males were more infected (73.33%) and all of them were between 49 and 79 years. Candida albicans (n = 8, 61.53%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 5, 38.46%) were the most frequent etiologic agents related to fungal and bacterial co-infections, respectively. Pneumonia (n = 15, 100%) and diabetes mellitus (n = 8, 53.33%) were documented as the most prevalent underlying conditions. In the current study, 3 out of 15 patients (20%) died.
Conclusion: The frequency of bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract in ICU patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was relatively high. According to the results, one of the causes of death of these patients could be a secondary infection.
Keywords: BHI, Brain Heart Infusion; Bacterial infections; COVID-19; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; Coinfection; Fungal infection; Iran; Respiratory tract; SARS-CoV-2, Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2; SDA, Sabouraud Dextrose Agar.