New Paradigm of COVID-19 with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Brief Review

The global threat of respiratory infectious diseases is constantly evolving among the world population. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a novel member of the respiratory virus causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an emerging disease characterized with pneumonia-like symptoms. Since it has been established as a worldwide pandemic, the cases of coronavirus infection are still growing and remain a global health concern. Meanwhile, tuberculosis also remains a great contributor to chronic respiratory communicable disease with cases still developing relentlessly. In a person manifested with chronic tuberculosis, co-infection of COVID-19 may occur and causes more severe clinical manifestations than tuberculosis single infection. On the other hand, it is also possible for people who have COVID-19 to be infected with new tuberculosis infection, especially if the individual lives in a developing country that tends to be tuberculosis endemic. Therefore, these two respiratory infections have become a worldwide double burden. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the new paradigm regarding these two worldwide emerging infectious diseases to provide a good understanding of their clinical aspects and to achieve the best possible future outcomes.