American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2024
Profiling Bacteria in the Lungs of Patients with Severe Influenza Versus COVID-19 with or without Aspergillosis.
Rationale: The influence of the lung bacterial microbiome, including potential pathogens, in patients with influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) or coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has yet to be explored. Objectives: To explore the composition of the lung bacterial microbiome and its association with viral and fungal infection, immunity, and outcome in severe influenza versus COVID-19 with or without aspergillosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective study in mechanically ventilated patients with influenza and COVID-19 with or without invasive aspergillosis in whom BAL for bacterial culture (with or without PCR) was obtained within 2 weeks after ICU admission. ⋯ Conclusions: Aspergillosis is more frequently detected in the lungs of patients with severe influenza than bacterial pathogens. Detection of bacterial pathogens associates with worse outcome in patients with influenza, particularly in those with IAPA, but not in patients with COVID-19. The immunological dynamics of tripartite viral-fungal-bacterial interactions deserve further investigation.