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Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to determine if SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum at admission correlated with clinical outcome in COVID-19. Methods COVID-19 patients admitted to the infectious diseases department of a tertiary level Swedish hospital and sampled for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum at admission during 10 April to 30 June 2020 were included. Primary outcomes were day 28 all-cause mortality and progress to critical disease. Results The cohort (N = 167) consisted of 106 SARS-CoV-2 RNA serum-negative and 61 serum-positive patients. Median sampling time for initial SARS-CoV-2 in serum was 1 day (interquartile range [IQR], 1–2 days) after admission, corresponding to day 10 (IQR, 8–12) after symptom onset. Median age was 53 years (IQR, 44–67 years) and 63 years (IQR, 52–74 years) for the serum–negative and -positive patients, respectively. In the serum-negative and -positive groups, 3 of 106 and 15 of 61 patients died, respectively. The hazard ratios for critical disease and all-cause mortality were 7.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0–17) and 8.6 (95% CI, 2.4–30), respectively, for patients with serum–positive compared to serum–negative results. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum at hospital admission indicates a high risk of progression to critical disease and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe sepsis is a common condition with a reported high mortality, but most studies have been confined to intensive care unit (ICU) populations. The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) has been used to define sepsis, however its usefulness has been questioned. Our aim was to describe the prevalence and clinical impact of severe sepsis and SIRS in patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) with a suspected serious infection. Methods: Four hundred and four adult patients were enrolled prospectively from the ED. Variables defining severe sepsis and SIRS were measured and the relationship between severe sepsis, SIRS, and the clinical course was analyzed. Results: Infections were diagnosed in 344 patients (85%). The overall mortality rate at 28 days was 2.7%, and 4.5% of patients were treated in the ICU. Patients with severe sepsis within 24 h of admission (42%) were more likely to suffer a critical course (ICU admission 9.0%, death 5.1%; p < 0.001). While SIRS was observed in 72% of the subjects at presentation, it was not associated with severe sepsis within 24 h or a subsequent critical course. Furthermore, 23% of patients with severe sepsis within 24 h did not present with SIRS. Conclusions: Severe sepsis was a common condition among ED patients with a clinically suspected serious infection. Mortality was low compared with results from the ICU setting, suggesting that severe sepsis is a more benign disease than earlier reported. As a tool for the definition of sepsis and for the selection of patients for clinical sepsis trials, SIRS lacks acceptable discriminative ability in an ED population with a high prevalence of serious infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here a case of meningitis caused by Salmonella virchow in a woman without signs or history of immunosuppression. Salmonella meningitis is a rare complication of human salmonellosis. The patient was successfully treated with ciprofloxacin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of confirmed meningitis in an adult caused by this serotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]