Comparison of influenza- and COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis in China

PURPOSE

We conducted a monocentric retrospective study using the latest definitions to compare the demographic, clinical, and biological characteristics of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA).

METHODS

The study retrospectively enrolled 180 patients, including 70 influenza/IPA patients (with positive influenza A/B and Aspergillus) and 110 COVID-19/IPA patients (with positive SARS-CoV-2 and Aspergillus). Among them, 42 (60%) and 30 (27.3%) patients fulfilled the definitions of IAPA and CAPA, respectively.

RESULTS

The CAPA patients had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (13/31, 41.9%) than IAPA patients (8/42, 19%) with a P-value of 0.033. Kaplan-Meier survival curve also showed significantly higher 30-day mortality for CAPA patients (P = 0.025). Additionally, the CAPA patients were older, though insignificantly, than IAPA patients (70 (60-80) vs. 62 (52-72), P = 0.075). A lower percentage of chronic pulmonary disease (12.9 vs. 40.5%, P = 0.01) but higher corticosteroids use 7 days before and after ICU admission (22.6% vs. 0%, P = 0.002) were found in CAPA patients. Notably, there were no significant differences in the percentage of ICU admission or ICU mortality between the two groups. In addition, the time from observation to Aspergillus diagnosis was significantly longer in CAPA patients than in IAPA patients (7 (2-13) vs. 0 (0-4.5), P = 0.048).

CONCLUSION

Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and Aspergillus during the concentrated outbreak of COVID-19 in China had generally higher in-hospital mortality but a lower percentage of chronic pulmonary disease than those infected with influenza and Aspergillus. For influenza-infected patients who require hospitalization, close attention should be paid to the risk of invasive aspergillosis upfront.

Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis: Not Only a Disease Affecting Immunosuppressed Patients

Fungal infections have become a common threat in Intensive Care Units (ICU). The epidemiology of invasive fungal diseases (IFD) has been extensively studied in patients severely immunosuppressed over the last 20-30 years, however, the type of patients that have been admitted to hospitals in the last decade has made the healthcare system and ICU a different setting with more vulnerable hosts. Patients admitted to an ICU tend to have older age and higher severity of disease. Moreover, the number of patients being treated in ICU are often immunosuppressed as a result of the widespread use of immunomodulatory agents, such as corticosteroids, chemotherapy, and biological agents. The development of Invasive Pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) reflects a different clinical trajectory to affected patients. The increasing use of corticosteroids would probably explain the higher incidence of IPA especially in critically ill patients. In refractory septic shock, severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the use of corticosteroids has re-emerged in order to decrease unacceptably high mortality rates associated with these clinical conditions. It is also pertinent to note that different reports have used different diagnosis criteria, and this might explain the different incidence rates. Another layer of complexity to better understand current IPA data is related to more aggressive acquisition of samples through invasive respiratory examinations.

Impact of Aspergillus spp. isolation in the first 24 hours of admission in critically ill patients with severe influenza virus pneumonia

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence and impact of Aspergillus spp. isolation (AI) on ICU mortality in critically ill patients with severe influenza pneumonia during the first 24h of admission.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of an observational and prospective cohort study.

SETTING

ICUs voluntary participating in the Spanish severe Influenza pneumonia registry, between June 2009 and June 2019.

PATIENTS

Consecutive patients admitted to the ICU with diagnosis of severe influenza pneumonia, confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST

Incidence of AI in respiratory samples. Demographic variables, comorbidities, need for mechanical ventilation and the presence of shock according at admission. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scale calculated on ICU admission.

RESULTS

3702 patients were analyzed in this study. AI incidence was 1.13% (n=42). Hematological malignancies (OR 4.39, 95% CI 1.92-10.04); HIV (OR 3.83, 95% CI 1.08-13.63), and other immunosuppression situations (OR 4.87, 95% CI 1.99-11.87) were factors independently associated with the presence of Aspergillus spp. The automatic CHAID decision tree showed that hematologic disease with an incidence of 3.3% was the most closely AI related variable. Hematological disease (OR 2.62 95% CI 1.95-3.51), immunosuppression (OR 2.05 95% CI 1.46-2.88) and AI (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.60-6.53) were variables independently associated with ICU mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Empirical antifungal treatment in our population may only be justified in immunocompromised patients. In moderate-high risk cases, active search for Aspergillus spp. should be implemented.

A Visual and Comprehensive Review on COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CAPA)

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19)-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is a severe fungal infection complicating critically ill COVID-19 patients. Numerous retrospective and prospective studies have been performed to get a better grasp on this lethal co-infection. We performed a qualitative review and summarized data from 48 studies in which 7047 patients had been included, of whom 820 had CAPA. The pooled incidence of proven, probable or putative CAPA was 15.1% among 2953 ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients included in 18 prospective studies. Incidences showed great variability due to multiple factors such as discrepancies in the rate and depth of the fungal work-up. The pathophysiology and risk factors for CAPA are ill-defined, but therapy with corticosteroids and anti-interleukin-6 therapy potentially confer the biggest risk. Sampling for mycological work-up using bronchoscopy is the cornerstone for diagnosis, as imaging is often aspecific. CAPA is associated with an increased mortality, but we do not have conclusive data whether therapy contributes to an increased survival in these patients. We conclude our review with a comparison between influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and CAPA.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis Among Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is increasingly identified as a complication of influenza infection, termed influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA).

AIMS

Assess the morbidity and mortality of critically ill influenza patients with and without IAPA.

METHODS

We searched the Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Embase databases for studies containing comparative data of critically ill influenza patients with IAPA. Primary outcomes were all-cause in-hospital and ICU mortality. The secondary outcomes were clinical characteristics, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) duration, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), requirement of vasopressor, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

FINDINGS

IAPA incidence was 28.8% in 853 critically ill influenza patients, with an overall mortality rate of 33.4%. No difference in age and comorbidities were observed. IAPA patients were predominantly male and received chronic corticosteroids. In-hospital (49.2% vs. 27.0%; P= 0.002) and ICU (46.8% vs. 20.8%; P< 0.001) mortality rates were higher among IAPA patients than non-IAPA patients. Greater proportion of IAPA patients required IMV and prolonged IMV duration (mean 17.3 vs. 10.5 days; P< 0.001), ICU (mean 26.8 vs. 12.8 days; P= 0.001) and hospital LOS (mean 38.7 vs. 27.0 days; P= 0.003). IAPA patients had greater disease severity requiring a significant amount of vasopressor (76.4% vs. 57.9%; P< 0.001), RRT (45.7% vs. 19.1%; P< 0.001), and ECMO (25.9% vs. 12.8%; P= 0.004) support than non-IAPA patients.

CONCLUSIONS

IAPA diagnosis in critically ill patients is associated with greater morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and more research are needed to determine better diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Influenza- and COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis: Are the Pictures Different?

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in intensive care unit patients is a major concern. Influenza-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and severe COVID-19 patients are both at risk of developing invasive fungal diseases. We used the new international definitions of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) to compare the demographic, clinical, biological, and radiological aspects of IAPA and CAPA in a monocentric retrospective study. A total of 120 patients were included, 71 with influenza and 49 with COVID-19-associated ARDS. Among them, 27 fulfilled the newly published criteria of IPA: 17/71 IAPA (23.9%) and 10/49 CAPA (20.4%). Kaplan–Meier curves showed significantly higher 90-day mortality for IPA patients overall (p = 0.032), whereas mortality did not differ between CAPA and IAPA patients. Radiological findings showed differences between IAPA and CAPA, with a higher proportion of features suggestive of IPA during IAPA. Lastly, a wide proportion of IPA patients had low plasma voriconazole concentrations with a higher delay to reach concentrations > 2 mg/L in CAPA vs. IAPA patients (p = 0.045). Severe COVID-19 and influenza patients appeared very similar in terms of prevalence of IPA and outcome. The dramatic consequences on the patients’ prognosis emphasize the need for a better awareness in these particular populations.