Just days after being hospitalised with bronchitis, the Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis has a “complex” respiratory condition known as a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection”.
He will remain in hospital for “as long as necessary” as his doctors embark on a “further change in therapy”.
So, what is a polymicrobial infection? What does this diagnosis mean for the Pope and is a full recovery possible?
The Pope was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Friday, after battling bronchitis for more than a week at home. As is often the case with this particular illness, he is said to have been tired but able to get out of bed for a week or so until it reached its tipping point. Then, the patient either starts to feel better or quite a bit worse.
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Unfortunately for the 88-year-old leader of the Catholic Church, he appears to have suffered the latter fate. In an update on Monday evening, the Vatican said tests carried out in recent days showed the Pope has “a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, which has led to a further change in therapy”.
It added: “All the tests carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require an appropriate hospital stay.”
There are currently no further details on the severity of the Pope’s illness or what will change in his treatment. The Vatican also confirmed that he no longer had a fever and was in a stable condition.
“This morning he received the Eucharist and afterwards devoted himself to some work activities and reading texts,” it said.
The diagnosis is the latest in a long line of health problems for the Pope. When he was younger, he endured severe pneumonia and had part of his lung removed. More recently, he suffered two falls and now frequently uses a wheelchair at public events because of his weakening knees.
In March 2023, he spent three nights at the same hospital for treatment of another bout of bronchitis.
What is a polymicrobial infection?
A polymicrobial infection is one caused by two or more micro-organisms.
The Pope’s is a respiratory tract infection, which means there is likely a mixture of different pathogens – such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites – growing in his lungs.
“The Vatican doctors have found evidence of more than one infection,” says Dr Tom Oates, a consultant general physician at the Royal London Hospital.
“This may be more than one type of virus; say, he might have both influenza A and rhinovirus – flu and the common cold. More worrying would be if an initial virus, such as a cold, had been followed by a bacterial pneumonia, as bacterial pneumonia is often a major illness for the elderly. This sequence, known as a secondary pneumonia, is reasonably common.”
Common symptoms of polymicrobial or bacterial infections include fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, and sweating.
Elderly lungs or those already damaged by other illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to be colonised by bacteria which can then flare up to form an infection such as this. Dr Oates points to the fact that the Pope has been hospitalised for respiratory infections before and also had part of his lung removed when he was just 21.
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“He is likely to be receiving antibiotic or antiviral treatment targeted to the specific infections, as well as standard supportive measures like oxygen or nebulisers if needed,” Dr Oates says.
“Bacterial chest infections can be serious in the elderly. Significant pneumonia can take even fit and young people up to four to six weeks to get over.”
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