ABSTRACT
The aim of this work was to identify the causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia and co-infection using PCR study of biomaterial from patients. Materials and methods. PCR testing of 268 samples from 258 patients was carried out to identify RNA/DNA of viral and bacterial pathogens of respiratory infections. Results and discussion. In 43.3 % of samples SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected, in 4.5 % – RNA/DNA of acute respiratory viral infections pathogens, in one sample – DNA of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Co-infection was detected only in patients of the anti-tuberculosis dispensary (SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis). In the examined patients with pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was significantly more often detected in biomaterial from the lower respiratory tract (52 %) than in respiratory smears (8.5 %). In the first week from the onset of the disease, 19.2 % of positive samples were found, in the second – 56.5 %. © 2020 Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute. All rights reserved.