Coinfection of Tuberculosis Pneumonia and COVID-19 in a Patient Vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG): Case Report

Michelangelo Luciani; Enrico Bentivegna; Valerio Spuntarelli; Piera Amoriello Lamberti; Ludovica Guerritore; Dario Chiappino; Gabriele Nalli; Maria Proietta; Flavia Del Porto; Paolo Martelletti; Giorgio Sesti

doi:10.1007/s42399-020-00601-9

Coinfection of Tuberculosis Pneumonia and COVID-19 in a Patient Vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG): Case Report

SN Compr Clin Med. 2020;2(11):2419-2422. doi: 10.1007/s42399-020-00601-9. Epub 2020 Oct 17.

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Internal Medicine Unit, Sant'Andrea University Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
² Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Emergency Medicine CoViD-19 Unit, Sant'Andrea University Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

COVID-19 is a respiratory tract infection caused by the new coronavirus SARS-COV2 that can be complicated by acute distress respiratory syndrome and multiorgan failure. In light of the high rate of mortality associated with COVID-19, pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to prevent the infection are currently being tested. Among non-pharmacological preventive measures, vaccines represent one of the main resources for public health. It has been suggested that Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine may protect individuals against infection from COVID-19 virus, and two clinical trials addressing this question are underway. Here, we report the case of a 32-year-old woman, vaccinated with BCG when she was 1 year old, who was diagnosed with apical tuberculous pneumonia of the right lung along with COVID 19 pneumonia.

Keywords: BCG; Covid-19; Immunity; Pneumonia; SARS-CoV-2; Tuberculosis.