Clostridioides difficile in COVID-19 Patients, Detroit, Michigan, USA, March-April 2020

Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Sep;26(9):2272-2274. doi: 10.3201/eid2609.202126. Epub 2020 May 22.

Abstract

We describe 9 patients at a medical center in Detroit, Michigan, USA, with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and Clostridioides difficile. Both infections can manifest as digestive symptoms and merit screening when assessing patients with diarrhea during the coronavirus disease pandemic. These co-infections also highlight the continued importance of antimicrobial stewardship.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clostridiodes difficile; Detroit; Michigan; SARS-CoV-2; United States; antibiotics; antimicrobial drug resistance; bacteria; bacterial infections; co-infection; coronavirus disease; diarrhea; nosocomial infections; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; zoonoses.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Betacoronavirus*
  • COVID-19
  • Clostridioides difficile*
  • Clostridium Infections / chemically induced
  • Clostridium Infections / epidemiology*
  • Clostridium Infections / microbiology
  • Coinfection / epidemiology*
  • Coinfection / microbiology
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / microbiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Michigan / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / microbiology
  • Population Surveillance
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents