Publication date: Nov 01, 2024
We report a case of a 34-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea following a suspected foodborne illness. She tested positive for COVID-19, human parainfluenza virus type 4, and enterovirus/rhinovirus in the hospital. She subsequently developed hypoxia, hypotension, and sepsis. Blood work revealed leukocytosis and elevated inflammatory markers. Imaging of her abdomen showed fluid-filled bowel loops suggesting acute gastroenteritis and colitis of infectious or inflammatory etiology. She was initially treated with antibiotics for a suspected bacterial infection. However, her cultures resulted negative and her symptoms slowly improved with supportive care including probiotics and a low-fat diet. Due to her persistent shortness of breath related to her COVID-19 infection, she was started on a course of oral prednisone due to the anti-inflammatory effects of steroids. She was discharged home in stable condition with close outpatient follow-up. This study highlights the clinical challenges of managing multiple viral infections, particularly with concurrent COVID-19.
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Bacterial | coinfection |
| Foodborne | covid-19 |
| Gastroenteritis | enterovirus |
| Outpatient | parainfluenza |
| Rhinovirus | superinfection |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Coinfection |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| disease | MESH | Parainfluenza |
| disease | MESH | emergency |
| disease | MESH | hypoxia |
| disease | MESH | hypotension |
| disease | MESH | sepsis |
| disease | IDO | blood |
| disease | MESH | leukocytosis |
| disease | MESH | gastroenteritis |
| disease | MESH | colitis |
| disease | MESH | etiology |
| disease | MESH | bacterial infection |
| disease | MESH | shortness of breath |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Prednisone |
| disease | MESH | viral infections |
| disease | MESH | superinfection |