Prevalence and Outcomes of Bacterial Co-detections by Blood Culture Among Children and Adults Hospitalized With Laboratory-confirmed Influenza, Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network, 2022–2024
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Influenza predisposes individuals to bacterial co-infections, which can result in disseminated infection and bacteremia. We describe the epidemiology and outcomes of blood culture co-detections among those hospitalized with influenza over 2 influenza seasons. METHODS: We sampled individuals of all ages from FluSurv-NET, a US population-based surveillance network of persons hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons. Surveillance staff collected information on bacterial blood cultures within 3 days before or 3 days following admission. We described patient characteristics and in-hospital outcomes, stratified by culture positivity, number of positive cultures, and type of co-detection, using unweighted counts and weighted percentages to account for the complex survey design. RESULTS: Overall, 14 316 patients were included, with a median (interquartile range) age of 57 (14-74) years, 53.6% female, 52.0% non-Hispanic White, and 25.6% with ≥4 categories of underlying medical conditions. Of these, 50.8% had ≥1 blood cultures obtained and 5.2% overall had ≥1 bacterial co-detections. Intensive care unit admission occurred for 9.6%, 19.2%, 31.2%, and 47.9% among patients with no blood cultures, negative cultures, 1 co-detection, and >1 co-detection documented, respectively; in-hospital mortality occurred in 1.5%, 3.3%, 9.4%, and 14.5%, respectively. Among patients with positive cultures, 22.1% had Staphylococcus aureus and 7.5% had Streptococcus pneumoniae co-detections; both were associated with severe illness (with 22.4% in-hospital mortality each). DISCUSSION: Bacterial co-detections in persons hospitalized with influenza were associated with poor in-hospital outcomes. Efforts to prevent severe influenza and bacterial co-infections, including through vaccination, may reduce substantial morbidity and mortality from influenza.
Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciag242
Authors: Mark W Tenforde, Dawud Ujamaa, H Keipp Talbot, Alissa C O’Halloran, Shua J Chai, Darpun Sachdev, Isaac Armistead, Nisha B Alden, James Meek, Kimberly Yousey-Hindes, Lucy S Witt, Kyle P Openo, Patricia A Ryan, Maya L Monroe, Sue Kim, Val Tellez Nunez, Ruth Lynfield, Melissa McMahon, Caroline McCahon, Molly Bleecker, Grant Barney, Kaylee Mahoney, Brenda L Tesini, Maria A Gaitan, Denise Ingabire-Smith, Nancy E Moran, Melissa Sutton, M Andraya Hendrick, William Schaffner, Ryan Chatelain, Ashley Swain, Shikha Garg, Catherine H Bozio
Institutions: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, California Department of Public Health, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Yale University, Emory University, Maryland Department of Health, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Minnesota Department of Health, New Mexico Department of Health, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, New York State Department of Health, University of Rochester Medicine, University of Rochester, Ohio Department of Health, Oregon Health Authority
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1308113280, G2739133050
OpenAlex ID: W7161964333