Persisting SARS‐CoV‐2 viraemia after rituximab therapy: two cases with fatal outcome and a review of the literature
Phil‐Robin Tepasse, Wali Hafezi, Mathias Lutz, Joachim Kühn, Christian Wilms, Rainer Wiewrodt, Jan Sackarnd, Martin S. Keller, Hartmut Schmidt, Richard Vollenberg
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause severe pneumonia (COVID-19). There is evidence that patients with comorbidities are at higher risk of a severe disease course. The role of immunosuppression in the disease course is not clear. In the present report, we first describe two cases of persisting SARS-CoV-2 viraemia with fatal outcome in patients after rituximab therapy.
Topics & Concepts
RituximabMedicineImmunosuppressionPneumoniaDiseaseCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Immunology2019-20 coronavirus outbreakIntensive care medicineInfectious disease (medical specialty)Internal medicineVirologyAntibodyOutbreakSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesSARS-CoV-2 detection and testing