Co-Circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Pathogens in Upper and Lower Respiratory Tracts during Influenza Season 2022–2023 in Lazio Region-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Co-Circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Pathogens in Upper and Lower Respiratory Tracts during Influenza Season 2022–2023 in Lazio Region

Published:2023-09-05 Issue:9 Volume:11 Page:2239
ISSN:2076-2607
Container-title:Microorganisms
language:en
Short-container-title:Microorganisms

Author:

Bordi Licia¹,Vulcano Antonella²,Sberna Giuseppe¹^ORCID,Nonis Marino³,Giacomini Paolo³,Maggi Fabrizio¹^ORCID,Fontana Carla²^ORCID,Lalle Eleonora¹

Affiliation:

1. Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute of Infectious Diseases “L. Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy

2. Laboratory of Microbiology and Biological Bank, National Institute of Infectious Diseases “L. Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy

3. Health Management Direction, National Institute of Infectious Diseases “L. Spallanzani” IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy

Abstract

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) occur when there is a lower airway tract infection. They are well-known for increasing the susceptibility of patients to bacterial/fungal co-infections and super-infections. In this study, we present the results of our investigation, which involved 381 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital during the Influenza season from October 2022 to April 2023. Among the 381 specimens, 75 were bronchoalveolar (BAL), and 306 were nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs). Notably, 34.4% of the examined samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of these, we observed that 7.96% of NPSs showed positivity only for other respiratory viruses, while a substantial percentage (77%) of BAL specimens exhibited positive results only for bacterial co-infections. The results of our study not only confirm the importance of co-infections in COVID-19 but also emphasize the significance of utilizing rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for the timely diagnosis of LRTIs. In fact, RDTs allow for the identification of multiple pathogens, providing clinicians with useful and timely information to establish effective therapy.

Funder

National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” IRCCS

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Virology,Microbiology (medical),Microbiology

Link

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/9/2239/pdf

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