Researchers in Brazil have reported cases of patients infected simultaneously with two coronavirus varietal strains amid efforts to track the spread of emerging variants across the country.
The findings were published this week before peer review in the preprint server medRxiv.
The infections were found in two patients in their thirties, both of whom recovered without the need for hospitalization. One developed a cough and the other had a headache, cough and sore throat.
“We were the first to identify two independent events of co-infection caused by the occurrence of B.1.1.28 (E484K) with B.1.1.248 or B.1.91 lines,” the study authors said. writing.
GET THE VACCINE COVID-19? DO NOT TAKE PAIN RELIEVERS IN ADVANCE OVER-THE-COUNTER, SP EXPERTS
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the Brazilian P.1 variant is a branch of the B.1.1.28 lineage, with the first U.S. case of the P.1 variant identified in Minnesota earlier this week is.
The team of researchers warned that co-infections could lead to a faster emergence of strains.
“These co-infections can produce new combinations faster and generate new variants than has happened,” Fernando Spilki, a virologist at Feevale University in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, told the study.
GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Spilki said that co-infections provide an additional evolutionary path for the new virus. He added that the cases highlight a rising pandemic in Brazil, as co-infections can only occur under a high degree of transmission.
It is noteworthy that the E484K mutation on the vein protein of the virus previously showed that it escapes the neutralizing ability by antibodies during recovery from plasma treatment, although the findings were preliminary.
“Nevertheless, limited resources and the small number of samples that are consecutive in Brazil are challenging the continuous monitoring of viral evolution and the occurrence of new mutations in the country,” study authors wrote.