Multi respiratory pathogens detected in COVID-19 patients and their family members in Haidian district, Beijing

  Objective  To analyze the infection status of common respiratory pathogens in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and their family members in Haidian district of Beijing and compare the disease severity between the COVID-19 patients with co-infections and the COVID-19 patients only infected with SARS-CoV-2.

  Methods  Multiplex PCR was used to detect the pathogen spectrum by using the respiratory tract samples of COVID-19 patients and their family members collected by the Haidian Center for Disease Control and Prevention during January-June, 2020. The differences in age and gender distributions and the severity of illness between the co-infection group and the non-co-infection group were compared.

  Results  Parainfluenza virus, human metapneumovirus, NL63 coronavirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae were detected in some samples of the COVID-19 patients, and respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus and H3 influenza virus were detected in samples of some family members. There was no statistical differences between the co-infection group and the non-co-infection group in gender, age distributions and the severity of illness

  Conclusion  Co-infections of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens were observed in the COVID-19 patients in Haidian district. There was a difference in pathogen spectrum detected in samples between the COVID-19 patients and their family members. No increased morbidity or mortality were observed in the COVID-19 patients co-infected with other respiratory pathogens. Application of multiplex PCR can provide more accurate evidence for the development of medical strategies.