Iranian Journal of Pathology

Outcomes of Patients with COVID-19 and Fungal Coinfections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Document Type : Systematic Review

Authors

Sadegh Khodavaisy 1, 2
Haleh Sarrafnia 3
Alireza Abdollahi 4

1 Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Research center for antibiotic stewardship and antimicrobial resistance, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Faculty of Biological Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran-North Branch, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Pathology, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30699/ijp.2024.2010087.3160
Abstract
Background & Objective: Fungal co-infections increase the incidence and mortality of viral respiratory tract infections. This study systematically reviews and conducts a meta-analysis to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-19 patients with fungal coinfections. The aim is to provide a concise overview of the impact of these infections on patient outcomes especially association with risk of mortality, informing future research and optimizing patient management strategies.
Methods: To identify relevant studies on COVID-19 patients, we conducted a systematic search of databases from the beginning of the year until July 2023, including fungal co-infections, mortality, and sequelae. Eligibility criteria were developed using the PICO framework, and data extraction was carried out separately by two authors using standard techniques. Statistical analysis was performed using the correlation model and differences between studies were evaluated using the I2 test. R and RStudio were used for statistical analysis and visualization.
Results: We initially identified 6,764 studies, and after checking for equivalence and consistency, 41 studies were included in the final analysis. The overall COVID-19 odds ratio for people who died from fungal infections was 2.65, indicating that patients infected with both COVID-19 and fungal infections had a higher risk of death compared to patients with COVID-19 alone. Specifically, COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has a higher odds ratio of 3.36, while COVID-19-associated candidiasis (CAC) has an odds ratio of 1.84, and both are much more associated with death. However, coinfection of the fungus with other fungal species did not show a significant difference in the risk of mortality.
Conclusion: This study identified CAPA and CAC as the most common infections acquired in healthcare settings. Fungal coinfections may be associated with an increased risk of death in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords

COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis
COVID-19 associated candidiasis
Fungal coinfections

Subjects

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Iranian Journal of Pathology
Volume 19, Issue 2
Spring 2024
Pages 137-147

  • Receive Date 26 August 2023
  • Revise Date 16 November 2023
  • Accept Date 16 November 2023

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