COVID-19 in Patients with Active Tuberculosis

Data on the coincidence of tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 are limited, and previous observations are based on the results of just a few studies, which has led to polarized views on the course of infection with SARS-CoV-2 in patients with active TB. We present the first two cases of TB and COVID-19 c...

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Published inDiagnostics (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 10; p. 1768
Main Authors Kozińska, Monika, Augustynowicz-Kopeć, Ewa
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2021
MDPI
Subjects
Case Report
Case studies
coincidence
coinfection
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
HIV
Homeless people
Human immunodeficiency virus
Infections
Infectious diseases
Laboratories
Mortality
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Oxygen therapy
Pandemics
Patients
Public health
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Tuberculosis
Poland
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Summary:Data on the coincidence of tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 are limited, and previous observations are based on the results of just a few studies, which has led to polarized views on the course of infection with SARS-CoV-2 in patients with active TB. We present the first two cases of TB and COVID-19 coinfection in the population of patients in Poland, diagnosed shortly after the outbreak of the global pandemic. In the first patient, TB was very advanced at the time of infection with SARS-CoV-2. From the third day of hospitalisation, respiratory failure was increasing, with no improvement after the use of high-flow oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation. On the seventh day of hospitalization, the patient died. In the second presented case, therapeutic success was achieved despite the coincidence of COVID-19, infection with HIV, and extrapulmonary and pulmonary TB. The patient had symptoms of renal failure and the SARS-CoV-2 infection was mild and asymptomatic. Because both patients were in the care of a homeless shelter, a molecular epidemiological investigation was carried out. Different DNA profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates detected in clinical materials from patients ruled out the transmission of tuberculosis. Based on our analysis, it is impossible to clearly define the influence of active TB on the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We can only suggest that coinfection is particularly dangerous for socially disadvantaged people, the elderly, and people with other comorbidities. In the coming years, a negative impact of the current pandemic on control programmes will be observed for many infectious diseases, including TB.
ISSN:2075-4418
2075-4418
DOI:10.3390/diagnostics11101768