- Doctors from Brazil have found an even more dangerous type of coronavirus infection, a double infection with two separate strains.
- The researchers set out two COVID-19 cases involving people in their mid-30s who were infected with both the Brazilian mutation (P.2) and another strain circulating in Brazil.
- These co-infections could lead to the creation of additional mutations, the researchers said.
Tens of millions of people worldwide have already received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while several million have undergone the complete two-dose regimen. In addition, two other vaccine manufacturers have just announced positive Phase 3 results for additional vaccine candidates who will soon be authorized for emergency use – the Novavax and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. But COVID-19 has also changed, just in time for vaccinations. The SARS-CoV-2 virus does mutate like any other micro-organism.
The last weeks of 2020 brought news of two highly contagious mutant coronavirus strains, including the British (B.1.1.7) and South African (B.1.351) versions. In early January, news of a Brazilian strain (P2 or B.1.1.28) declined, and governments around the world began taking measures to reduce the spread of these highly contagious variations. This includes additional genetic tests to understand how the new strains spread in their countries, enabling some researchers to detect an even more dangerous coronavirus infection.
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The coronavirus has mutated since the beginning. Some studies have shown that the version that reached Europe and the US in March 2020 was more contagious than the version of Wuhan. Scientists have detected mutations throughout the pandemic to understand how the virus develops and to ensure that vaccines work. The medicines Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna are still effective against the British strain, while the South African strain can reduce their effectiveness. The Johnson & Johnson drug has been tested in trials against the South African mutation, and the company delivers impressive efficacy against the strain.
With more researchers monitoring the new mutations, it is not surprising to hear that doctors in Brazil have identified two people infected simultaneously with two different mutated coronavirus strains. This is a worrying development that suggests that humans can pick up more than one strain from their communities, and each can repeat in the body in such a way that the two different versions appear in genetic tests.
The Brazilian researchers posted their findings in a study that was not reviewed by peers, per Reuters. The two patients involved were both in their thirties and tested positive for the P.2 mutation and a different strain. Their symptoms were mild. One person developed a dry cough while the other experienced cough, sore throat and headache. Not one person needed hospitalization.
The research indicates that different variants of the same virus may exist within the same host, and this phenomenon may favor further mutations.
“These co-infections can produce combinations and generate new variants faster than has happened,” said Dr. Fernando Spilki, lead researcher of the study, said Reuters. “That would be another evolutionary path for the virus.”
This may not be the first time that several strains of the virus live in the same host. This can be a common occurrence in places where multiple coronavirus versions spread within communities. Researchers are now doing more genetic testing than before because they are looking for the more worrying strains. In turn, this will increase the chances of discovering these double infections.
It is unclear whether any of the British, South African or Brazilian mutations could have developed from duplicate infections that went unnoticed. A few weeks ago, researchers in Italy found a local mutation that had developed in a patient with an immune deficiency that tested positive for COVID-19 for several months. The researchers speculated that this mutation may be the precursor of the British tribe, but could not prove it.
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Chris Smith started writing about hobbies as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his opinion on technological things with readers around the world. If he does not write about apparatus, he can not stay in it, although he tries desperately. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.