Dengue Virus and Influenza A Virus Co-Infection in Pregnancy: A Case Report

Abstract

Dengue is still an important cause of disease and mortality in tropical countries, as is influenza A virus, which is also a cause of epidemics all over the globe. In this article, we present the case of a 31-year-old woman who was in her second trimester of pregnancy and presented with severe dengue with hematological and neurological complications, and premature labor. She was misdiagnosed with bacterial infection and received antibiotic treatment with no improvement of the clinical manifestations and previous to death, she was diagnosed with dengue infection. She died from cardiorespiratory arrest. In the postmortem evaluation, influenza A co-infection was confirmed and characterization of the tissue damage and immune response in lung, liver, kidney, heart, spleen, and brain was determined, finding a severe inflammatory response in lung with T cells and macrophages infiltrating the tissue. This case report highlights the risks of accepting a single diagnosis, especially in endemic countries to multiple tropical diseases, which can lead to delay in appropriate treatment that could reduce morbidity and mortality.