Variations in respiratory pathogen carriage among a homeless population in a shelter for men in Marseille, France, March–July 2020: cross-sectional 1-day surveys

We aimed to compare respiratory pathogen carriage by PCR during three different time periods in 2020 in sheltered homeless people in Marseille, France. The overall prevalence of respiratory pathogen carriage in late March–early April (69.9%) was significantly higher than in late April (42.3%) and mid-July (45.1%). Bacterial carriage significantly decreased between late March–early April and late April. SARS-CoV-2 was detected only in late March–early April samples (20.6%). Measures aiming at mitigating SARS-CoV-2 transmission were effective and also impacted bacterial carriage. Seasonal variations of bacterial carriage between winter and summer in this population were not marked.