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Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of medically attended acute respiratory illnesses in older adults but awareness of the relevance of RSV in older people remains lower than that of influenza, which exhibits similar clinical characteristics to those of RSV. Objectives This study was performed to assess the clinical significance of RSV in respiratory samples from hospitalized adults. Methods Characteristics and outcomes in adults (≥18 years) hospitalized for RSV infection (n = 51) were compared with a cohort hospitalized for influenza A infection (n = 279) in a single‐center retrospective cohort study in Beijing, China. Results Respiratory syncytial virus patients were slightly older, with no significant differences in underlying chronic conditions. Lower respiratory tract infection and cardiovascular complications were more frequent (P < .05) in RSV patients. Rates of mortality in the RSV cohorts were significantly higher within 30 days (13.7% vs 5.0%, P = .019) and 60 days (17.6% vs 7.5%, P = .021). Bacterial co‐infection in respiratory samples was associated with reduced survival among RSV patients (log rank, P = .013). Conclusions Respiratory syncytial virus is a common cause of serious illness among hospitalized adults in China with greater mortality than influenza A. Increased awareness and the availability of antiviral agents might increase the scope for successful management.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide. Bacterial co-infections are associated with unfavourable outcomes in respiratory viral infections; however, microbiological and antibiotic data related to COVID-19 are sparse. Adequate use of antibiotics in line with antibiotic stewardship (ABS) principles is warranted during the pandemic. We performed a retrospective study of clinical and microbiological characteristics of 140 COVID-19 patients admitted between February and April 2020 to a German University hospital, with a focus on bacterial co-infections and antimicrobial therapy. The final date of follow-up was 6 May 2020. Clinical data of 140 COVID-19 patients were recorded: The median age was 63.5 (range 17–99) years; 64% were males. According to the implemented local ABS guidelines, the most commonly used antibiotic regimen was ampicillin/sulbactam (41.5%) with a median duration of 6 (range 1–13) days. Urinary antigen tests for Legionella pneumophila and Streptococcus peumoniae were negative in all cases. In critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (n = 50), co-infections with Enterobacterales (34.0%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (18.0%) were detected. Blood cultures collected at admission showed a diagnostic yield of 4.2%. Bacterial and fungal co-infections are rare in COVID-19 patients and are mainly prevalent in critically ill patients. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of antimicrobial therapy on therapeutic outcome in COVID-19 patients to prevent antimicrobial overuse. ABS guidelines could help in optimising the management of COVID-19. Investigation of microbial patterns of infectious complications in critically ill COVID-19 patients is also required.

Objective This study evaluated the diagnostic value of measuring the levels of procalcitonin (PCT) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) to differentiate children co‐infected with H1N1 influenza and bacteria from children infected with H1N1 influenza alone. Methods Consecutive patients (children aged < 5 years) with laboratory‐confirmed H1N1 influenza who were hospitalized or received outpatient care from a tertiary‐care hospital in Canton, China, between January 1, 2012, and September 1, 2017, were included in the present study. Laboratory results, including serum PCT and CRP levels, white blood cell (WBC) counts, and bacterial cultures, were analyzed. The predictive value of the combination of biomarkers versus any of the biomarkers alone for diagnosing bacterial co‐infections was evaluated using logistic regression analyses. Results Significantly higher PCT (1.46 vs 0.21 ng/mL, P < 0.001) and CRP (19.20 vs 5.10 mg/dL, P < 0.001) levels were detected in the bacterial co‐infection group than in the H1N1 infection‐alone group. Using PCT or CRP levels alone, the areas under the curves (AUCs) for predicting bacterial co‐infections were 0.801 (95% CI, 0.772‐0.855) and 0.762 (95% CI, 0.722‐0.803), respectively. Using a combination of PCT and CRP, the logistic regression‐based model, Logit(P) = −1.912 + 0.546 PCT + 0.087 CRP, showed significantly greater accuracy (AUC: 0.893, 95% CI: 0.842‐0.934) than did the other three biomarkers. Conclusions The combination of PCT and CRP levels could provide a useful method of distinguishing bacterial co‐infections from an H1N1 influenza infection alone in children during the early disease phase. After further validation, the flexible model derived here could assist clinicians in decision‐making processes.

Invasive meningococcal disease incidence in England declined from 1.93/100,000 persons (1,016 cases) in 2010–11 to 0.95/100,000 (530 cases) in 2018–19 and 0.74/100,000 in 2019–20 (419 cases). During national lockdown for the coronavirus disease pandemic (April–August 2020), incidence was 75% lower than during April–August 2019.

This retrospective cohort study conducted in Turkey between December 2020 and June 2022 aimed to assess antibiotic use, bacterial co-infections, and the associated factors on mortality in hospitalized patients with mild-to-severe COVID-19. Among the 445 patients, 80% received antibiotics, with fluoroquinolones being the most common choice, followed by beta-lactams and combinations. Various clinical and laboratory parameters, including symptoms, comorbidities, CCI, oxygen requirements, and CRP levels were observed to be elevated in the antibiotic group. Non-survivors had more ICU admissions and longer hospital stays compared to survivors. We conducted a multivariate Cox regression analysis to evaluate factors related to mortality. However, we did not find an association between antibiotic use and mortality [HR 2.7 (95% CI 0.4–20)]. The study identified significant factors associated with an antibiotic prescription, such as CCI (OR 1.6), CRP (OR 2.3), and ICU admission (OR 8.8), ( p  < 0.05). The findings suggest re-evaluating the necessity of antibiotics in COVID-19 cases based on clinical assessments, focusing on the presence of bacterial infections rather than empirical treatment. Further research is necessary to more accurately identify patients with bacterial co-infections who would benefit from antibiotic treatment.

The prevalence of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with SARS-CoV-2 infection who were prescribed antibiotics is undetermined and might contribute to the increased global antibiotic resistance. This systematic review evaluates the prevalence of antibiotic prescribing in patients admitted to ICUs with SARS-CoV-2 infection using PRISMA guidelines. We searched and scrutinized results from PubMed and ScienceDirect databases for published literature restricted to the English language up to 11 May 2021. In addition, we included observational studies of humans with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, clinical characteristics, and antibiotics prescribed for ICU patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections. A total of 361 studies were identified, but only 38 were included in the final analysis. Antibiotic prescribing data were available from 2715 patients, of which prevalence of 71% was reported in old age patients with a mean age of 62.7 years. From the reported studies, third generation cephalosporin had the highest frequency amongst reviewed studies (36.8%) followed by azithromycin (34.2%). The estimated bacterial infection in 12 reported studies was 30.8% produced by 15 different bacterial species, and S. aureus recorded the highest bacterial infection (75%). The fundamental outcomes were the prevalence of ICU COVID-19 patients prescribed antibiotics stratified by age, type of antibiotics prescribed, and the presence of co-infections and comorbidities. In conclusion, more than half of ICU patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection received antibiotics, and prescribing is significantly higher than the estimated frequency of identified bacterial co-infection.

Streptococcus suis is one of the most important bacterial swine pathogens affecting post-weaned piglets, causing mainly meningitis, arthritis and sudden death. It not only results in severe economic losses but also raises concerns over animal welfare and antimicrobial resistance and remains an important zoonotic agent in some countries. The definition and diagnosis of S. suis -associated diseases can be complex. Should S. suis be considered a primary or secondary pathogen? The situation is further complicated when referring to respiratory disease, since the pathogen has historically been considered as a secondary pathogen within the porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC). Is S. suis a respiratory or strictly systemic pathogen? S. suis is a normal inhabitant of the upper respiratory tract, and the presence of potentially virulent strains alone does not guarantee the appearance of clinical signs. Within this unclear context, it has been largely proposed that co-infection with some viral and bacterial pathogens can significantly influence the severity of S. suis -associated diseases and may be the key to understanding how the infection behaves in the field. In this review, we critically addressed studies reporting an epidemiological link (mixed infections or presence of more than one pathogen at the same time), as well as in vitro and in vivo studies of co-infection of S. suis with other pathogens and discussed their limitations and possibilities for improvement and proposed recommendations for future studies.

The prevalence of patients hospitalized in ICUs with COVID-19 and co-infected by pathogenic bacteria is relevant in this study, considering the integrality of treatment. This systematic review assesses the prevalence of co-infection in patients admitted to ICUs with SARS-CoV-2 infection, using the PRISMA guidelines. We examined the results of the PubMed, Embase, and SciELO databases, searching for published English literature from December 2019 to December 2021. A total of 542 rec ords were identified, but only 38 were eligible and, and of these only 10 were included. The tabulated studies represented a sample group of 1394 co-infected patients. In total, 35%/138 of the patients were co-infected with Enterobacter spp., 27% (17/63) were co-infected with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococ cus aureus, 21% (84/404) were co-infected with Klebsiella spp., 16% (47/678) of patients were co-infected with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 13% (10/80) co-infected with Escherichia coli (ESBL), and 3% (30/1030) of patients were co-infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most common co-infections were related to blood flow; although in the urinary and respiratory tracts of patients Streptococcus pneumoniae was found in 57% (12/21) of patients, coagulase negative Staphylococcus in 44% (7/16) of patients, and Escherichia coli was found in 37% (11/29) of patients. The present research demonstrated that co-infections caused by bacteria in patients with COVID-19 are a concern.

Background/Objectives: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU) and is associated with prolonged hospitalization and increased mortality. We evaluated the causative pathogens involved and their resistance to the major classes of antibiotics in patients with VAP and assessed the differences between patients with and without coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: This study was a single-center, cross-sectional, retrospective analysis involving 122 patients who were hospitalized in the ICU of Târgu Mureș County Clinical Hospital from 1 April 2021, to 1 April 2023. This study compares patients with VAP in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups, examining the clinical progression, duration of ventilation and hospitalization, mortality, pathogen distribution, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Results: A length of stay in the ICU exceeding 11.5 days was associated with the development of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections (AUC: 0.708, p < 0.001). Similarly, a duration of MV exceeding 196 h was associated with MDR acquisition (AUC: 0.695, p = 0.002). Additionally, a Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) greater than 5 was associated with MDR development (AUC: 0.854, p < 0.001) in the whole group of patients. The most commonly isolated strains were Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Among non-COVID-19 patients, there was a notably higher frequency of MDR Acinetobacter baumannii. A bacterial resistance to carbapenems was found in Acinetobacter spp. (51.6%), Klebsiella spp. (22.6%), and Pseudomonas spp. (25.8%). Conclusions: COVID-19 patients experienced longer ventilation, higher mortality, and an increased risk of developing MDR. Carbapenem resistance was universal in Acinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae, whereas resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more prevalent among non-COVID-19 patients. The Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) strongly correlates with developing MDR pathogens in both patient groups.

Ticks are vectors of various pathogens, including tick-borne encephalitis virus and bacteria such as B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum, causing infections/co-infections, which are still a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of TBEV infection/bacterial co-infection on metabolic changes in the blood of patients before and after treatment. It was found that those infections promote plasma ROS enhanced generation and antioxidant defence reduction, especially in relation to glutathione and thioredoxin systems, despite the increased effectiveness of Nrf2 transcription factor in granulocytes. Observed oxidative stress promotes the oxidative modifications of phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (LA, AA, EPA) with increased lipid peroxidation (estimated as 8-isoPGF2α, 4-HNE). It is accompanied by protein modifications measured as 4-HNE-protein adducts, carbonyl groups, dityrosine increase, and tryptophan level decrease, which promote structural and functional modification of the following transcription factors: Nrf2 and NFkB inhibitors. The lower level of 8-iso-PGF2α in co-infections indicates an impairment of the body’s ability to intensify inflammation and fight co-infections, while an increased level of Trx after therapy may contribute to the intensification of the inflammatory process. The obtained results indicate the potential possibility of using the assessed metabolic parameters to introduce targeted pharmacotherapy in cases of TBEV infections/bacterial co-infections.