Mehmet Sami İSLAMOĞLU, Betül BORKU UYSAL

Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 coinfection during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Because severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which produces pandemic pneumonia and has a more fatal course than seasonal flu, has no effective treatment, protection against secondary infections is essential in preventing disease-related mortality. The study’s goal is to prove a link between seasonal Influenza A-B and SARS-CoV-2 coinfections in the winter, when respiratory tract illnesses are widespread. Methods: This study was designed retrospective. After ethic commitee approval; 515 patients with cold symptoms between November 2, 2020 and February 17, 2021 were included in study. Influenza Antigen Card Plus was used for the detection of influenza. In the PCR test for SARS-CoV-2, swab samples taken from both the mouth and nose were studied in the CFX96 Real time PCR device. Patients were divided into groups according to whether the Influenza A-B and COVID-19 PCR tests were positive or negative. The relationship between influenza A-B positivity and SARS-CoV-2 positivity was investigated. Results: The female / male ratio in the 515 patients included in the research was 60.7% / 39.2%. Influenza positivity was found 55.2% in women and 44.5% in men. Influenza-A was revealed to be the most prevalent influenza subtype. Influenza and COVID-19 coinfection was detected in 33.1% of the cases. Influenza-A was positive in 29.9% and Influenza B was positive in %10.1 of the patients with positive COVID-19 RT-PCR test. Conclusion: We have determined that it can be seen as a coinfection with SARS-CoV-2, as well as the occurrence of Influenza alone during the flu season. Although the pandemic appears to be speeding up at times owing to changes in isolation measures, the impact of influenza, other respiratory tract diseases, and coinfection on the disease’s progression is unknown, and further study is needed.

COVID-19 pandemisinde SARS-CoV-2 ve İnfluenza koinfeksiyonu

Amaç: Pandemik pnömoniye neden olarak tüm dünyada hızla yayılan ve mevsimsel gribe göre daha mortal seyreden Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)’nin etkin bir tedavisi olmadığından hastalığa bağlı ölümlerde sekonder enfeksiyonlardan korunma önemlidir. Çalışmanın amacı, solunum yolu enfeksiyonlarının sık görüldüğü kış sezonunda mevsimsel İnfluenza A-B ve SARS-CoV-2’nin birlikte olduğu ko-infeksiyonun gösterilmesidir. Yöntem: Çalışma retrospektif olarak planlandı. Etik kurul onayının alınmasının ardından 2 Kasım 2020 ile 17 Şubat 2021 arasında soğuk algınlığı semptomları ile başvurmuş olan 515 hasta çalışmaya alındı. İnfluenza tespiti için İnfluenza Antijen Card Plus yöntemi kullanıldı. SARS-CoV-2’nin PCR yöntemi ile tespiti için ağız boşluğu ve burundan alınan sürüntü örnekleri CFX96 Real time PCR cihazında çalışıldı. Hastalar İnfluenza A-B ve Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 RT-PCR pozitif veya negatif olmasına göre gruplara ayrıldı. Hastalarda İnfluenza A-B pozitifliği ile SARS-CoV-2 pozitif vakaların birlikteliğine bakıldı. Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan 515 hastada kadın / erkek oranı %60.7 / %39.2 saptandı. İnfluenza pozitifliği kadınlarda %55.2, erkeklerde %44.5 saptandı ve COVID-19 ko-infeksiyonu %33,1 vakada saptandı. COVID-19 RT-PCR testi pozitif olan 177 hastanın %29,9 (53)’unda İnfluenza-A, %10.1 (18)’inde İnfluenza-B pozitif saptandı. Sonuç: Grip sezonunda tek başına İnfluenza görülmesinin yanında, SARS-CoV-2 ile koinfeksiyon olarak da görülebildiği ortaya konuldu. İzolasyon önlemlerindeki değişimlere bağlı olarak pandeminin aralıklı olarak hızlandığı görülmekle birlikte influenzanın, diğer solunum yolu infeksiyonlarının ve koinfeksiyonun hastalık seyrine etkisi net olmayıp bu konuda ileri araştırmalara gereksinim vardır

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