A 49-year-old woman, who was recently treated with flu-like symptoms in Botucatu (SP), discovered that she had been infected by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (causing Covid-19) and by two other viruses: influenza A (flu) and adenovirus ( cold).
The doctor who followed the case, Professor Alexandre Naime Barbosa, head of infectology at Unesp (State University of São Paulo) in Botucatu, says that the patient showed the first symptoms after a get-together at the end of the year.
“She arrived with the flu syndrome, I did the viral panel, the three viruses came. I monitored her for Covid for ten days.”
After this period without complications, she was released to return to normal activities.
“She’s great, she’s a doctor, triathlete, she didn’t develop severe symptoms, she didn’t have hypoxia, nothing. She did not need to use oseltamivir because it is not a risk group. But note that even a person without comorbidities and with a history of athlete can catch three viruses at the same time. That’s why it’s important for us to maintain prevention measures, which are the use of a mask and avoid agglomeration.”
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The infectologist attributes the woman’s positive outcome to the vaccination.
“She has influenza vaccine. Although the influenza vaccine does not catch the strain that is circulating, [H3N2 Darwin], it may have some cross-protection effect. And she has all three doses of vaccine. Her third dose was in October, because she is a health professional. The frame had a superb resolution”, says Barbosa.
Coinfecção
Several cases of respiratory virus coinfection have been detected in Brazil, including the so-called “flurone”, by influenza and coronavirus.
According to Barbosa, this was already an expected scenario with the flexibility of activities in the last two months throughout Brazil and with the end-of-year festivities.
In addition to influenza, viruses that commonly cause the common cold, such as adenoviruses and rhinoviruses, had not circulated with such intensity during the more restrictive periods of the pandemic in 2021.
“It’s been a while since these viruses have circulated and now they’re much more transmissible to an environment of people who haven’t had contact, who don’t have immunity against this H3N2 Darwin strain of influenza or other cold viruses. When you are out of contact for a long time, it ends up happening, you are more susceptible.”
He emphasizes the importance of testing for both Covid-19 and the so-called viral panel, which detects other respiratory viruses.
“Usually they are mild, self-limiting, benign cases, but they should be evaluated so that a differential diagnosis can be made.”
