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Up to 32% of people who died with COVID-19 had a bacterial lung superinfection, according to findings from a review of postmortem studies.
Limited clinical data suggest ~16% prevalence of bacterial superinfections among critically ill patients with COVID-19.
Researchers reviewed postmortem studies of patients with COVID-19 published in English through 26 September 2020 for histopathologic findings consistent with bacterial lung infections.
Results:
-- Worldwide, 621 patients from 75 studies were included. The quality of data was uneven, likely because identifying superinfections was not a major objective in 96% (72/75) of studies.
-- Histopathology consistent with potential lung superinfection was reported in 32% (200/621) of patients (22-96 years old; 66% men). Types of infections were pneumonia (95%), abscesses or empyema (3.5%), and septic emboli (1.5%).
-- Seventy-three percent of pneumonias were focal rather than diffuse.
-- Predominant histopathologic findings were intra-alveolar neutrophilic infiltrations that were distinct from those typical of COVID-19-associated diffuse alveolar damage.
-- In studies with available data, 79% of patients received antimicrobial treatment; most common agents were beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors (48%), macrolides (16%), cephalosoprins (12%), and carbapenems (6%).
-- Superinfections were proven by direct visualization or recovery of bacteria in 25.5% (51/200) of potential cases, and 8% of all patients in postmortem studies.
-- In rank order, pathogens included Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
-- Lung superinfections were causes of death in 16% of potential cases, and 3% of all patients with COVID-19.
Conclusively, potential bacterial lung superinfections were evident at postmortem examination in 32% of persons who died with COVID-19 (proven, 8%; possible, 24%), but they were uncommonly the cause of death.
Source: https://academic.oup.com/ofid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ofid/ofab065/6128788
Limited clinical data suggest ~16% prevalence of bacterial superinfections among critically ill patients with COVID-19.
Researchers reviewed postmortem studies of patients with COVID-19 published in English through 26 September 2020 for histopathologic findings consistent with bacterial lung infections.
Results:
-- Worldwide, 621 patients from 75 studies were included. The quality of data was uneven, likely because identifying superinfections was not a major objective in 96% (72/75) of studies.
-- Histopathology consistent with potential lung superinfection was reported in 32% (200/621) of patients (22-96 years old; 66% men). Types of infections were pneumonia (95%), abscesses or empyema (3.5%), and septic emboli (1.5%).
-- Seventy-three percent of pneumonias were focal rather than diffuse.
-- Predominant histopathologic findings were intra-alveolar neutrophilic infiltrations that were distinct from those typical of COVID-19-associated diffuse alveolar damage.
-- In studies with available data, 79% of patients received antimicrobial treatment; most common agents were beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors (48%), macrolides (16%), cephalosoprins (12%), and carbapenems (6%).
-- Superinfections were proven by direct visualization or recovery of bacteria in 25.5% (51/200) of potential cases, and 8% of all patients in postmortem studies.
-- In rank order, pathogens included Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
-- Lung superinfections were causes of death in 16% of potential cases, and 3% of all patients with COVID-19.
Conclusively, potential bacterial lung superinfections were evident at postmortem examination in 32% of persons who died with COVID-19 (proven, 8%; possible, 24%), but they were uncommonly the cause of death.
Source: https://academic.oup.com/ofid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ofid/ofab065/6128788
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