A Rare Case of Latent Tuberculosis Reactivation Secondary to a COVID-19 Infection

Ana-Alicia Leonso; Kyle Brown; Raquel Prol; Saumya Rawat; Arjun Khunger; Romina Bromberg

doi:10.3390/idr14030048

A Rare Case of Latent Tuberculosis Reactivation Secondary to a COVID-19 Infection

Infect Dis Rep. 2022 Jun 12;14(3):446-452. doi: 10.3390/idr14030048.

Authors

Ana-Alicia Leonso¹, Kyle Brown², Raquel Prol¹, Saumya Rawat¹, Arjun Khunger¹, Romina Bromberg³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Graduate Medical Education, Memorial Hospital West, Pembroke Pines, FL 33028, USA.
² Department of Pharmacy, Memorial Hospital West, Pembroke Pines, FL 33028, USA.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Memorial Hospital West, Pembroke Pines, FL 33028, USA.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and tuberculosis (TB) are currently the two leading causes of death among infectious diseases. As we progress towards a "new normal", more information is required regarding post-COVID-19 syndromes. We present a case of latent tuberculosis reactivation 3 months after a successful inpatient treatment of COVID-19. A 74-year-old female from the Philippines presented with a new left mid-lung infiltrate with worsening shortness of breath and lethargy for one week prior to admission. The clinical course of the patient deteriorated despite broad-spectrum antibiotics, diuretics, and high-dose steroid therapy requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Her sputum culture yielded the microbiological diagnosis of TB. Anti-tubercular medications were started and the patient had a favorable clinical outcome. Our case demonstrates that immunosuppression secondary to COVID-19 and its treatments may promote the development of an active TB infection from a latent infection. It is important to be aware of this potential increase in risk during and after a COVID-19 treatment. This is especially important in high-risk populations to ensure an early diagnosis and prompt management as well as to reduce transmission.

Keywords: COVID-19; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; SARS-CoV-2; latent tuberculosis.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

Memorial Physician Group Infectious Disease Department funded the article processing fee. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.