The patient, a man in his 30s, visited the emergency room in March with a fever, cough and blood in his phlegm. Physicians diagnosed the man with a form of pneumonia known as pleuropneumonia and he was given antibiotics. A day later, physicians transferred the man to the intensive care unit where he was placed on a ventilator.
Four days later, the man tested positive for COVID-19. Researchers also conducted bacterial testing of drainage from the man’s lung and found he had necrotizing pneumonia induced by Panton-Valentine leukocidin-secreting Staphylococcus aureus. PVL is cytotoxin released by some S. aureus strains that causes tissue to die.
Despite clinicians attempts to treat the man with several different antibiotic regimens, the patient died 17 days after hospitalization.
An increase of S. aureus superinfections occurred during the 2003 SARS outbreak, which is noteworthy since the viruses responsible for SARS and COVID-19 are so closely related.
“Our findings indicate that the new SARS-CoV-2 is … a facilitating factor for PVL-producing S. aureus necrotizing pneumonia,” researchers said. “In previously healthy young adults admitted to an ICU for COVID-19 and S. aureus superinfection, a PVL-producing strain should be assumed and treatment provided accordingly.”
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