Observational studyEuropean journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology2026
Implications of empirical testing and treatment for atypical bacteria in patients hospitalized with COVID, influenza, or RSV: a retrospective observational cohort study.
Observational study in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePatients admitted with viral respiratory tract infections are at risk ofbacterial co-infections that may exacerbate disease severity. Detection of atypical bacteria requires specific laboratory diagnostic modality and specific antibiotics.
methodsIn this retrospective regionwide cohort study we included all patients admitted to a hospital in the Central Denmark Region with COVID-19, influenza A, influenza B, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) from February 2019 to February 2024. Firstly, we investigated the number of patients testing positive for atypical bacterial co-infection. Secondly, we evaluated associations with diagnostic testing for these atypical bacteria, and the use and associations with administration of empirical treatment with clarithromycin.
resultsDuring the study period a total of 19,651 patients were admitted with one of the viral respiratory tract infections. Only 21 patients tested positive for atypical bacterial co-infection, corresponding to 0.1% of those tested (n = 2,369). Empirical clarithromycin was administered to 859 (4.4%) patients. Still 17 out of the 21 patients (81.0%) with atypical bacterial co-infection did not receive clarithromycin before the result of diagnostic test was available.
conclusionsOur findings do not support routine testing for atypical bacterial co-infection and use of empirical treatment for atypical pneumonia in this population.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.