COVID-19 and Fatal Sepsis Caused by Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, Japan, 2020

A patient in Japan with coronavirus disease and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae K2 sequence type 86 infection died of respiratory failure. Bacterial and fungal co-infections caused by region-endemic pathogens, including hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in eastern Asia, should be included in the differential diagnosis of coronavirus disease patients with acutely deteriorating condition.

Automated summary

In patients with coronavirus disease who deteriorate rapidly, co-infections by bacterial and fungal pathogens, including hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in eastern Asia, should be considered in the differential diagnosis.