COVID-19 with Multiple Bacterial Co-infections: A Case Report

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease which was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for this ongoing pandemic worldwide. COVID-19 itself has a high mortality rate but in addition with bacterial co-infection, the risk of death amplifies much higher. The diagnosis of COVID-19 along with other respiratory co-infections can be a difficult task due to the similarities in their presentations. Here, we present a case of 60-years-old gentleman who was COVID-19 positive, co-infected with three types of bacterial pathogens, which were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Enterobacter spp. and Pseudomonas. The patient was isolated and treated according to the pathogens’ culture sensitivity reports and was discharged when his condition improved and advised for routine follow-up. The source of the co-infection could not be identified and may have been hospital acquired. Therefore, every hospital should give utmost priority to infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies.