AUTHOR=Massey Bill W. , Jayathilake Karuna , Meltzer Herbert Y. 

TITLE=Respiratory Microbial Co-infection With SARS-CoV-2

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.02079

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.02079

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=The prevalence and types of respiratory pathogens in relation to age and domicile were determined in 12,075 US subjects tested for possible SARS-CoV-2 infection. The co-occurrence of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens was related to race, gender, age, nursing home and outpatient status. Infections with other respiratory pathogens able to produce SARS-CoV-2 like symptoms were present in COVID-19 negative subjects and were more common in SARS-CoV-2 positive than negative subjects.  Advanced age and nursing home status impacted co-infection rates as they do SARS-CoV-2 infection rates. Addressing co-pathogens is a necessary part of diagnosis and treating respiratory illness in the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.