The detection of HBoV, B19 and PARV4 polyomaviruses DNA in Covid-19 patients as possible coinfection agents
The detection of HBoV, B19 and PARV4 polyomaviruses DNA in Covid-19 patients as possible coinfection agents
Seyed Amir Mohammad Seyed Mirzajani,1Seyed Reza Mohebbi,2,*Seyed Masoud Hosseini,3Shabnam Kazemian,4Mahsa Saeedi Niasar,5Hamid Asadzadeh-Aghdaei,6
1. Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 2. Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3. Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 4. Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 5. Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 6. Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Introduction: The goal of this research was to detect co-infection of polyomaviruses including polyomavirus B19, human bocaviruses (HBoVs), and human parvovirus 4 (PARV4) with severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Emerging evidence shows that individuals with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) frequently have viral co-infections. Symptoms of COVID-19 resemble those of frequent causes of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Properly diagnosing the etiologies of patients with RTI symptoms is essential for both disease control and averting the breakdown of the healthcare system, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Between March 21, 2021, and April 18, 2022, we collected oropharyngeal swab samples from 360 Iranian patients and analyzed them using the Multiplex PCR and Nested PCR techniques for the presence of the mentioned polyomaviruses. Of these samples, 160 (44.44%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 200 (55.56%) were negative.
Results: Three (1%) SARS-CoV-2-negative samples and seven (2.33%) Covid-19-infected study subjects had polyomavirus DNA (HBoVs, PARV4). Four (1.33%) samples had polyomavirus B19 DNA, including 3 samples from COVID-19-infected individuals and 1 sample from a negative control sample.
Conclusion: According to research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, coinfections are prevalent in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 illness course, the coinfecting pathogens may be identified at various periods. However, their role in exacerbating illness symptoms is unknown. Certain research suggests that a number of them may also be able to lower the likelihood of viral co-detection. As a result, it's crucial to monitor the patients throughout the course of the infection and search for any potential coinfection agents, particularly rare viral coinfection agents like polyomaviruses.