Viral Co-infections in COVID-19

Link to article at PubMed

J Med Virol. 2021 May 25. doi: 10.1002/jmv.27102. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The most consequential challenge raised by co-infection is perhaps the inappropriate generation of recombinant viruses through the exchange of genetic material among different strains. These genetically similar viruses can interfere with the replication process of each other, and even compete for the metabolites required for the maintenance of replication cycle. Due to the similarity in clinical symptoms of most viral respiratory tract infections, and their coincidence with COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, it is recommended to develop a comprehensive diagnostic panel for detection of respiratory and non-respiratory viruses through the evaluation of patient samples. Given the resulting changes in blood markers such as coagulation factors and white blood cell count following a virus infection, these markers can be of diagnostic value in detection of mixed infection in individuals already diagnosed with a certain viral illness. In this review, we seek to investigate the co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 with other respiratory and non-respiratory viruses to provide novel insights into the development of highly sensitive diagnostics, and effective treatment modalities. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:34032294 | DOI:10.1002/jmv.27102

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