A Case of COVID-19 and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Coinfection Resulting in MRSA Empyema

TL;DR

A 59-year-old man with COVID-19 and MRSA coinfection developed MRSA empyema, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and drainage for better outcomes.

Contribution

This paper presents a detailed case report of a rare MRSA empyema in a patient with COVID-19.

Findings

MRSA was detected in both sputum and blood cultures of a patient with COVID-19.

The patient developed MRSA empyema, diagnosed through pleural fluid examination.

Prompt drainage and vancomycin treatment improved symptoms and radiographic findings.

Abstract

Bacterial coinfections in patients with COVID-19 are rare; however, coinfection with Staphylococcus (S.) aureus is relatively common. No detailed report of patients with COVID-19 and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) coinfection has been documented. Herein, we present a case of a patient with COVID-19 and MRSA coinfection who developed MRSA empyema after pneumonia and bacteremia. A 59-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment of COVID-19 and bacterial pneumonia with septic shock. He was initially treated with antibiotics, antiviral agents, and steroids. On the third day of admission, MRSA was detected in both sputum and blood cultures. Although he was treated with appropriate vancomycin doses with monitoring of renal function and serum vancomycin concentrations, he developed bilateral pleural effusions one week after starting treatment. Initially, the bilateral pleural effusions were thought to have been caused by hypoalbuminemia. However, bilateral chest drainage was performed due to the onset of left-sided chest pain. The left-sided pleural effusion was exudative, whereas the right-sided pleural effusion was transudative. MRSA was later detected on culture of the left-sided effusion but not the right-sided effusion. Based on the findings of the pleural fluid examination, the patient was diagnosed with left-sided empyema. His symptoms and radiographic findings improved after a repeat drainage of the left pleural effusion. Vancomycin was administered for 28 days, and the patient was discharged on the twenty-eighth day of admission. These findings highlight the importance of pleural fluid examination for the prompt diagnosis of pleural infection. Early diagnosis of empyema and prompt chest drainage may help avoid the need for surgery. This report could contribute to the clinical management of patients with COVID-19 and MRSA coinfection.

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