HIV-Associated Mycobacterium Avium Complex, Oral Candida, and SARS-CoV-2 Co-Infection: A Rare Case Report

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly to become a global pandemic. Opportunistic infections (OIs) are common in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and oral candidiasis (OC) are frequently responsible for such infections. Here, we describe a patient with a recent history of COVID-19 who was also diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), MAC, and OC.

The patient was a 23-year-old woman with a past medical history of HIV infection who was diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection 6 days prior to her referral to hospital. Her chief complaints were chest distress and continuous fever with a background of a 5-month history of anemia and tuberculosis (TB). Chest X-ray showed bilateral parenchymal infiltrates suspicious for COVID-19. She was treated with oxygen, empiric antibacterial and antiretroviral therapy. Further workup showed MAC and OC infection. She was started on ethambutol, rifampin and antifungal treatment for influenzas and her symptoms resolved in 8 weeks. Follow-up chest computed tomography scanning showed that the lung lesions disappeared within a short period of time.

A thorough history and clinical examination are vital to arriving at the correct diagnosis or diagnoses. With the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians caring for immunosuppressed patients need to remain vigilant of the simultaneous presence of OIs. This report highlights the importance of the treatment and prevention of OIs in HIV-infected persons, which may reduce adverse consequences after infection with SARS-CoV-2.