The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in upper and lower respiratory specimens and coinfection with other respiratory pathogens in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was investigated Study subjects (N = 342) were retrospectively enrolled after being confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 positive, and their nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), oropharyngeal swab (OPS), and sputum specimens were restored for SARS-CoV-2 retesting and respiratory pathogen detection The majority of the subjects (96 5%, N = 330) were confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 positive using NPS/OPS specimens Among the COVID-19 patients (N = 342), 7 9% (N = 27) and 0 9% (N = 3) were coinfected with respiratory viruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respectively, yielding an 8 8% (N = 30) overall respiratory pathogen coinfection rate Of the respiratory virus coinfection cases (N = 27), 92 6% (N = 25) were coinfected with a single respiratory virus and 7 4% (N = 2) with two viruses (metapneumovirus/adenovirus and rhinovirus/bocavirus) No triple coinfections of other respiratory viruses or bacteria with SARS-CoV-2 were detected Respiratory viruses coinfected in the patients with COVID-19 were as follows: rhinovirus (N = 7, 2 1%), respiratory syncytial virus A and B (N = 6, 1 8%), non-SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses (229E, NL63, and OC43, N = 5, 1 5%), metapneumovirus (N = 4, 1 2%), influenza A (N = 3, 0 9%), adenovirus (N = 3, 0 9%), and bocavirus (N = 1, 0 3%) In conclusion, the diagnostic value of utilizing NPS/OPS specimens is excellent, and, as the first report in Korea, coinfection with respiratory pathogens was detected at a rate of 8 8% in patients with COVID-19 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology is the property of Hindawi Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
Coinfections with Respiratory Pathogens among COVID-19 Patients in Korea