First case of monkey pox, covid and HIV co-infection of monkeypox, covid-19 and HIV. This is a 36 year old man, of Italian nationality, who was in Spain from June 16 to 20, according to a letter published in the “Journal of Infection”. The man said he had sex without a condom with men during their stay in Spain.
Nine days following his stay in Spain, the man submitted fever up to 39 degrees, accompanied by sore throat, fatigue, headaches and right inguinal adenomegaly. (swelling of the right lymph nodes).
On July 2, he gave positive for SARS-CoV-2 and the same day, a a rash on his right arm. The next day, small painful blisters appeared on his chest, legs, face and buttocks. After being admitted to the Infectious Diseases Department of the University Hospital of Catania (Italy), it was confirmed that he also had monkey pox.
The clinical history and sexual habits are “crucial” in establishing a correct diagnosis.
During admission, the patient stated having been treated for syphilis in 2019. In September 2021, he had tested negative for HIV. However, although serologies for viral hepatitis, herpes simplex, gonorrhea, chlamydia and lymphogranuloma were negative, this time the patient tested negative for HIV. HIV positive, as reported in the “Journal of Infection”.
The man was treated in hospital and on July 11, despite still testing positive for covid-19 and monkeypox, he had no new skin lesions. He was therefore released and confined to his home. 19 was still positive for monkeypox, although the scabs from the wounds had healed completely, and he started to… he was treated for HIV.
Overlapping symptoms
According to the scientific journal, this case demonstrates how the symptoms of monkeypox and covid-19 can “overlap”. and proves how, in the event of co-infection, the clinical history and the sexual habits are “crucial” in making the correct diagnosis.
The website BA.4 and BA.5 coronavirus subvariants are currently responsible for more than one million cases of covid-19 per day in the world, recalls the newspaper. Therefore, physicians “must be aware” of the existence of the possibility of co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and monkeypox virus, especially in subjects who have recently traveled to areas where outbreaks of monkeypox have occurred.
Our case highlights that sexual intercourse may be the primary route of transmission,” reports the Journal of Infection.
“Our case highlights that sexuality sex might be the predominant route of transmission, the letter in the “Journal of Infection”. And she asks doctors to “recommend the appropriate precautions”.
“As this is the only reported case of coinfection with monkeypox virus, SARS-CoV-2 and HIV, there is not yet enough evidence to support that this association can worsen the patient’s condition. Given the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the daily increase in monkeypox cases, health systems must be vigilant once morest this eventuality, promoting appropriate diagnostic testing in high-risk subjects, which is essential for containment, as there is no widely available treatment or prophylaxis,” the article concludes.