Bacterial and fungal co-infections among ICU COVID-19 hospitalized patients in a Palestinian hospital: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Naseef, Hani; Mohammad, Ula; Al-Shami, Ni’meh; Sahoury, Yousef; Abukhalil, Abdallah Damin; Dreidi, Mutaz; Alsahouri, Ibrahim; Farraj, Mohammad

doi:10.12688/f1000research.74566.1

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…This trend in humans has been ignored or unknown and seems to be increasing every passing day. In fact, it has been hypothesized that poly microbial infections might be more common and aggressive than single infections (Hughes et al, 2020, Naseef et al, 2022, Zhao et al, 2021. Indeed, co-infections can be of a particular significance since the disease causing agents can interact with co-infecting agents and the human host at a much subtler level than can be detected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal-Bacterial Di-Kingdom Microbial Communities Associated with Chronic Pulmonary Disease

Njovu,

Akatuhumuriza,

Mumbere

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Fungal-bacterial co-colonization and co-infections are emerging among TB-suspected patients, yet the underlying mechanisms that enable and arise from their interactions are poorly understood. Understanding how environmental microbes such as fungi and bacteria co-evolve and develop traits to evade host immune responses and resist treatment is critical to controlling opportunistic co-infections. Our previous work has demonstrated that fungal-bacterial interactions can have dramatic impacts on fungal pathogenesis and drug resistance. Here, we, therefore, hypothesize that cross-kingdom synergistic interactions between environmental fungi and bacteria may influence both fungal and bacterial virulence, antimicrobial resistance patterns and aetiology. Through this, we aimed to establish the prevalence of fungal–bacterial microbial communities associated with chronic primary or opportunistic pulmonary infections. Concordantly, through surveilling 302 clinical samples from 151 patients, we established the prevalence of TB (0.7%) to be lower than that of fungi (1.3%) and non-TB bacterial (4.6%) mono-aetiologies Figure 2. However, our main observation was the unexpected taxonomic diversity with a striking twist of fungal-bacterial di-kingdom aetiological conformities. Interestingly, the majority of the patients presented with at least a di or mono-kingdom aetiological pairings. Importantly, fungi and non-TB bacteria formerly regarded as atypical opportunists are now frequently isolated as possible aetiology for chronic pulmonary infection. Hence, we revealed many di-kingdom aetiological pairings here but their significance remains a question of further examination. Among which Acremonium spp + K. pneumoniae (n=5), Acremonium spp +Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=4), Acremonium spp + C. albicans + K. pneumoniae (n=3) were among the most dominant aetiological pairings observed. Interestingly, Acremonium spp + K. pneumoniae pairings were also seen to be the most commonly associated with pulmonary TB both during and after treatment. Isolation from the same infection niche as seen here calls for further investigations into any interaction signatures that may exist between these organisms. Taken together, our data suggest that fungal-bacterial co-existence may influence their virulence attributes and antimicrobial resistance patterns, with relevance to patient outcomes. Therefore, our data reveals an array of fungal-bacterial pairings that may influence the prognosis of chronic pulmonary disease. Importantly, suggesting that the diversity of pulmonary infective fungi and bacteria, and their complex population structures may pose challenges to the analysis and interpretation of conventional data. Thus, there is a need to redirect our diagnostic approaches to encompass polymicrobial aetiology in order to enhance our suspicion index for better management of opportunistic fungal-bacterial co-infections.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal-Bacterial Di-Kingdom Microbial Communities Associated with Chronic Pulmonary Disease

Njovu,

Akatuhumuriza,

Mumbere

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Probiotic-Based Bacteriocin: Immunity Supplementation Against Viruses. An Updated Review

Umair

Jabbar

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Viral infections are a major cause of severe, fatal diseases worldwide. Recently, these infections have increased due to demanding contextual circumstances, such as environmental changes, increased migration of people and product distribution, rapid demographic changes, and outbreaks of novel viruses, including the COVID-19 outbreak. Internal variables that influence viral immunity have received attention along with these external causes to avert such novel viral outbreaks. The gastrointestinal microbiome (GIM), particularly the present probiotics, plays a vital role in the host immune system by mediating host protective immunity and acting as an immune regulator. Bacteriocins possess numerous health benefits and exhibit antagonistic activity against enteric pathogens and immunobiotics, thereby inhibiting viral infections. Moreover, disrupting the homeostasis of the GIM/host immune system negatively affects viral immunity. The interactions between bacteriocins and infectious viruses, particularly in COVID-19, through improved host immunity and physiology are complex and have not yet been studied, although several studies have proven that bacteriocins influence the outcomes of viral infections. However, the complex transmission to the affected sites and siRNA defense against nuclease digestion lead to challenging clinical trials. Additionally, bacteriocins are well known for their biofunctional properties and underlying mechanisms in the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections. However, few studies have shown the role of probiotics-derived bacteriocin against viral infections. Thus, based on the results of the previous studies, this review lays out a road map for future studies on bacteriocins for treating viral infections.

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Fungal–Bacterial Co-Infections and Super-Infections among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review

Bantun

2023

JoF

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This study systematically reviewed fungal–bacterial co-infections and super-infections among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. A PRISMA systematic search was conducted. On September 2022, Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, PsychINFO, Wiley Online Library, NATURE, and CINAHL databases were searched for all relevant articles published in English. All articles that exclusively reported the presence of fungal–bacterial co-infections and super-infections among hospitalized COVID-19 patients were included. Seven databases produced 6937 articles as a result of the literature search. Twenty-four articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The total number of samples across the studies was 10,834, with a total of 1243 (11.5%) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Of these patients, 535 underwent mechanical ventilation (4.9%), 2386 (22.0%) were male, and 597 (5.5%) died. Furthermore, hospitalized COVID-19 patients have a somewhat high rate (23.5%) of fungal–bacterial co-infections and super-infections. Moreover, for SARS-CoV-2 patients who have a chest X-ray that suggests a bacterial infection, who require immediate ICU admission, or who have a seriously immunocompromised condition, empiric antibiotic therapy should be taken into consideration. Additionally, the prevalence of co-infections and super-infections among hospitalized COVID-19 patients may have an impact on diagnosis and treatment. It is crucial to check for fungal and bacterial co-infections and super-infections in COVID-19 patients.

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Bacterial and fungal co-infections among ICU COVID-19 hospitalized patients in a Palestinian hospital: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Fungal-Bacterial Di-Kingdom Microbial Communities Associated with Chronic Pulmonary Disease

Fungal-Bacterial Di-Kingdom Microbial Communities Associated with Chronic Pulmonary Disease

Probiotic-Based Bacteriocin: Immunity Supplementation Against Viruses. An Updated Review

Fungal–Bacterial Co-Infections and Super-Infections among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review

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