Bacterial Co-Infection in Patients with Coronavirus: A Rapid Review to Support COVID-19 Antimicrobial Prescription

The goal of this study was to determine the most common microorganisms present in COVID-19 patients with co-infections at the General Hospital of Mexicali. Bacterial co-infections have been reported in two previous global pandemics caused by viruses. In a retrospective observational study, we obtain...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: María Fernanda Celaya Corella, Jorge Omer Rodeles Nieblas, Donato Antonio Rechy Iruretagoyena, Gerson Ney Hernández Acevedo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-10-01
Series:Microbiology Research
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/14/4/111
Description
Summary:The goal of this study was to determine the most common microorganisms present in COVID-19 patients with co-infections at the General Hospital of Mexicali. Bacterial co-infections have been reported in two previous global pandemics caused by viruses. In a retrospective observational study, we obtained information from 1979 patients. All had symptoms of respiratory disease, and we performed real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction tests on nasopharyngeal swab samples. Of the 1979 patients, 316 were negative; so, they were excluded. One thousand and sixty-three patients had positive results for COVID-19; one hundred and seventy-two (10.34%) had respiratory co-infections. These data were corroborated by positive growth results in culture media and identified using the MALDI-TOF MS System. Vitek 2<sup>®</sup> Compact, an automated identification system, determined the antimicrobial susceptibility testing results. We analyzed and determined the microorganisms in co-infected patients. Different microorganisms were found, including bacteria and fungi. The most prevalent of all the organisms was <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>, which was present in 64 patients (37.2%). We recommend improving the diagnostic and surveillance protocols for possible cases of co-infections in patients with COVID-19. Unlike co-infections in pandemic influenza, the spectrum of microorganisms that cause COVID-19 is too broad and varied to recommend empiric antibiotic therapy.
ISSN:2036-7481