In the height of influenza season its important to take into account how the flu might be having secondary effects on our health. Viral infections can make us more susceptible to secondary bacterial infections, and bacterial infections can induce viral shedding or reactive a dormant infection. A common subsequent illness following an influenza virus infection is pneumonia. According to one study, up to 40% of pneumonia cases (both community acquired and hospital acquired) can be traced back to a viral infection, often the flu. In some cases, concurrent flu and pneumonia infections can cause serious illness and result in ICU admission.
While this is a known issue, what is known about the detailed mechanisms of influenza and pneumonia co-infection is lacking. This can make diagnosing of co-infection difficult due to timing of samples, false negatives, contamination, and locations of where virus/bacteria is present in the body.
Based on a literature review, older people and people who are immunosuppressed are the most likely to develop severe complications from an influenza infection including pneumonia co-infection. The bacteria S pneumoniae is the most commonly occurring co-infection of people with influenza.
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Cawcutt K, Kalil AC. Pneumonia with bacterial and viral coinfection. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2017;23(5):385-390.
Campigotto A, Mubareka S. Influenza-associated bacterial pneumonia; managing and controlling infection on two fronts. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2015;13(1):55-68.
https://www.pulmonologyadvisor.com/pneumonia/pneumonia-bacterial-and-viral-coinfections-and-consequences/article/828445/
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