Sahu T, Verma HK, Bhaskar LVKS. Bacterial and fungal co-infection is a major barrier in COVID-19 patients: A specific management and therapeutic strategy is required. World J Virol 2022; 11(2): 107-110 [PMID: 35433338 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i2.107]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Henu Kumar Verma, PhD, Research Scientist, Senior Researcher, Department of Immunopathology, Institute of Lung Health and Immunity, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Helmholtz Zentrum, Neuherberg Inglostäder Landstrapβe 1, Munich 85764, Germany. henu.verma@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Virology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Virol. Mar 25, 2022; 11(2): 107-110 Published online Mar 25, 2022. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i2.107
Bacterial and fungal co-infection is a major barrier in COVID-19 patients: A specific management and therapeutic strategy is required
Tarun Sahu, Henu Kumar Verma, Lakkakula V K S Bhaskar
Tarun Sahu, Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Science, Raipur 492001, Chhattisgarh, India
Henu Kumar Verma, Department of Immunopathology, Institute of Lung Health and Immunity, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Helmholtz Zentrum, Munich 85764, Germany
Lakkakula V K S Bhaskar, Department of Zoology, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur 495001, Chhattisgarh, India
Author contributions: Sahu T, Verma HK, and Bhaskar LVKS wrote and revised the letter.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Henu Kumar Verma, PhD, Research Scientist, Senior Researcher, Department of Immunopathology, Institute of Lung Health and Immunity, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Helmholtz Zentrum, Neuherberg Inglostäder Landstrapβe 1, Munich 85764, Germany. henu.verma@yahoo.com
Received: August 14, 2021 Peer-review started: August 14, 2021 First decision: September 2, 2021 Revised: September 8, 2021 Accepted: February 10, 2022 Article in press: February 10, 2022 Published online: March 25, 2022
Abstract
Microbial co-infections are another primary concern in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet it is an untouched area among researchers. Preliminary data and systematic reviews only show the type of pathogens responsible for that, but its pathophysiology is still unknown. Studies show that these microbial co-infections are hospital-acquired/nosocomial infections, and patients admitted to intensive care units with invasive mechanical ventilation are highly susceptible to it. Patients with COVID-19 had elevated inflammatory cytokines and a weakened cell-mediated immune response, with lower CD4+ T and CD8+ T cell counts, indicating vulnerability to various co-infections. Despite this, there are only a few studies that recommend the management of co-infections.
Core Tip: The immune systems of coronavirus disease 2019 patients are already compromised, making them vulnerable to bacterial, fungal, and viral co-infections. These secondary infections, also known as co-infections, are hospital-acquired/nosocomial infections, and mechanically ventilated patients are especially vulnerable. There are no specific guidelines or treatment options for these types of co-infections at the moment, which is contributing to an increase in morbidity and mortality among these patients.
