Co-Infection between Dengue Virus and SARS-CoV-2 in Cali, Colombia

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Co-occurrence of COVID-19 with endemic diseases like dengue poses public health challenges.
• Understanding the impact of co-infections on patient prognosis is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe clinical characteristics of patients with dengue virus (DENV) and SARS-CoV-2 co-infections.
• To compare outcomes of co-infected patients with those of COVID-19 patients without dengue.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study in Cali, Colombia (March 2020-March 2021).
• Included patients tested for both SARS-CoV-2 (RT-PCR) and DENV (IgM/NS1).
• Dengue diagnosis based on positive IgM or NS1 test.

Main Results:

• Co-infected patients (n=18) showed increased dyspnea, oxygen desaturation, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio compared to COVID-19 only (n=72).
• Higher proportion of moderate-to-severe COVID-19, increased need for mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission in the co-infection group.
• ICU mortality was significantly higher in co-infected patients (66.6%) versus COVID-19 only (29.4%).

Conclusions:

• DENV and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection is associated with worse clinical outcomes.
• Co-infection leads to increased severity and higher mortality in ICU patients.
• Co-infection occurred during the convergence of epidemic waves for both viruses.