Cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis with COVID-19 coinfection

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the healthcare system worldwide, leading to an approach favoring judicious resource allocation. A focus on resource preservation can result in anchoring bias and missed concurrent diagnosis. Coinfection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has implications beyond morbidity at the individual level and can lead to unintended TB exposure to others. We present six cases of COVID-19 with newly diagnosed cavitating pulmonary tuberculosis to highlight the significance of this phenomenon and favorable outcomes if recognized early.

Keywords

• SAR-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• TB
• Co-infection
• Pulmonary tuberculosis