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An elderly woman in Belgium was infected with two variants of the novel coronavirus at the same time, in a rare case of “co-infection” with the virus, according to a new assessment.
The 90-year-old woman, who was not vaccinated against COVID-19, developed simultaneous infection with the alpha coronavirus variant (first identified in the UK) and beta coronavirus variant (identified for first time in South Africa), according to the report, presented this week at the Virtual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). The alpha and beta variants are considered “variants of concern” to the coronavirus, or exhibiting worrying characteristics such as increased transmissibility, according to the World Health Organization.
Related: Coronavirus Variants: Here’s How SARS-CoV-2 Mutants Stack Up
The woman’s condition quickly worsened after her hospitalization and she died in March, according to the report.
There have been several cases of people infected with both the novel coronavirus and another respiratory virus, such as influenza, at the same time. But a co-infection with two variants of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was rarely seen, with only a few other cases reported earlier this year, the authors said. These cases did not involve two worrying variants.
“This is one of the first documented cases of co-infection with two worrisome variants of SARS-CoV-2,” said lead author of the study, Anne Vankeerberghen, molecular biologist at OLV Hospital Aalst, Belgium. said in a press release. Vankeerberghen added that these two variants were circulating in Belgium at the time the woman was infected and that she likely contracted the two variants from two different people. Still, “unfortunately, we don’t know how she got infected,” Vankeerberghen said.
The woman was admitted to OLV Hospital on March 3, after suffering several falls; and she tested positive for COVID-19 the same day, according to the report.
At first, the woman had no signs of breathing problems. But soon that changed – she developed worsening respiratory symptoms and died five days later, the authors said.
Using a PCR test for the variants of concern, the authors found that the woman had been infected with both variants. A second PCR test confirmed the result.
“It is difficult to say whether the co-infection of the two worrisome variants played a role in the rapid deterioration of the patient,” said Vankeerberghen.
In January 2021, Brazilian researchers reported two cases of people infected simultaneously with the gamma variant (first identified in Brazil) and another new variant of the coronavirus called VUI-NP13L.
The occurrence of coronavirus co-infections is likely underestimated due to limited testing for several variants, Vankeerberghen added. The authors encourage increased testing for these variants.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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