Poor Prognosis of Pneumococcal Co-Infection in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
- Author:
Soyoon HWANG
1
;
Eunkyung NAM
;
Shin-Woo KIM
;
Hyun-Ha CHANG
;
Yoonjung KIM
;
Sohyun BAE
;
Nan Young LEE
;
Yu Kyung KIM
;
Ji Sun KIM
;
Han Wook PARK
;
Joon Gyu BAE
;
Juhwan JEONG
;
Ki Tae KWON
Author Information
- Publication Type:Brief Communication
- From:Infection and Chemotherapy 2025;57(1):172-178
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: The impact of Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prognosis remains uncertain. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who underwent a pneumococcal urinary antigen (PUA) test to assess its clinical utility. Results showed that PUA-positive patients required more oxygen support, high-flow nasal cannula, and dexamethasone compared to PUA-negative patients.Furthermore, the significantly higher incidence of a National Early Warning Score ≥5 in the PUA-positive group (P<0.001) suggests that a positive PUA test is associated with a severe disease course. However, no significant difference in mortality was observed between the two groups, and antibiotics were used in almost all patients (96.2%). While the PUA test may help guide antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients, its interpretation should be approached with caution.
