Case Report: The Importance of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and Coinfection with Other Respiratory Pathogens in the Current Pandemic

Abstract

The early shortage of novel coronavirus disease tests in the United States led many hospitals to first screen for common respiratory pathogens, and only if this screen was negative to proceed with COVID-19 testing. We report a case of a 56-year-old woman with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) coinfection with group A Streptococcus. The initial testing strategy resulted in delays in both diagnosis and implementation of appropriate precautions. Underlined is the importance of testing for both SARS-CoV-2 and other common respiratory pathogens during the current pandemic.

Comparison of Clinical Features of COVID-19 vs Seasonal Influenza A and B in US Children

“…Coinfections of COVID-19 with influenza and other respiratory viruses have been reported previously. 19 , 20 Further study is warranted to assess the potential benefits of interventions such as school closure on reducing disease burden and maintaining optimal operation of health care facilities.…”

Community-acquired viral respiratory infections amongst hospitalized inpatients during a COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore: co-infection and clinical outcomes

“…Reports of coinfections with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens have been used to argue against the utility of routine testing for non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory pathogens during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a positive result for other respiratory pathogens does not exclude SARS-CoV-2 [9,22] and hospital resources are strained during an ongoing outbreak. While effective interventions for viral respiratory infections remain limited (eg.…”

Concomitant infection with COVID-19 and Mycoplasma pneumoniae

“…However, the community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by atypical pathogens may present similarly to COVID-19, and it may be challenging to distinguish them based on symptoms, signs, or radiographic findings. Recently, there have been several reports reminding physicians of the possibility of co-infection with other pathogens in patients with COVID-19 [ 5 , 6 ]. Thus, we report our experience with a COVID-19 patient co-infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae .…”