Bacterial superinfection is a serious complication of pancreatitis and is more likely to occur in the setting of necrosis of pancreatic tissue and more commonly later in the clinical course.

When does superinfection occur?

Superinfection is the process by which a cell that has previously been infected by one virus gets co-infected with a different strain of the virus, or another virus, at a later point in time. Viral superinfections may be resistant to the antiviral drug or drugs that were being used to treat the original infection.

How are Superinfections caused?

According to the CDC, a superinfection is an "infection following a previous infection especially when caused by microorganisms that are resistant or have become resistant to the antibiotics used earlier," while a coinfection is an infection concurrent with the initial infection.