TB Research

Cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis with COVID-19 coinfection

Zohaib Yousaf, Adeel Ahmad Khan, Haseeb Chaudhary, Kamran Mushtaq, Jabeed Parengal, Mohamad Aboukamar, Muhammad Umair Khan, Mouhand Mohamed

IDCases · 2020-01

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the healthcare system worldwide, leading to an approach favoring judicious resource allocation. A focus on resource preservation can result in anchoring bias and missed concurrent diagnosis. Coinfection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has implications beyond morbidity at the individual level and can lead to unintended TB exposure to others. We present six cases of COVID-19 with newly diagnosed cavitating pulmonary tuberculosis to highlight the significance of this phenomenon and favorable outcomes if recognized early.

MeSH terms

  • Coinfection
  • Medicine
  • Tuberculosis
  • Pandemic
  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Intensive care medicine
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)