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Acuña-Castillo C, Maisey K, Vidal M, Barrera-Avalos C, Inostroza-Molina A, Luraschi R, Vallejos-Vidal E, Valdés D, Imarai M, Reyes-López FE, Sandino AM. Genomic Evidence Suggests Viral Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 for 386 Days in Health Worker: A Case Report from Santiago of Chile. Infect Dis Rep 2022; 14:971-978. [PMID: 36547242 PMCID: PMC9778366 DOI: 10.3390/idr14060096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect several countries. One of the best ways to control its spread is the timely identification of infected patients for isolation and quarantine. While an episode of infection lasts an average of 8-10 days from the onset of symptoms, there is literature describing long-lasting viral persistence events. Here, we report a case of persistence of SARS-CoV-2 for 386 days in a health worker from Santiago de Chile. Our study could be one of the longest reported viral persistence events. RNA sequencing analyses indicated that the first positive diagnosis (8 June 2020) corresponded to a SARS-CoV-2 variant belonging to Clade Nextstrain 20A. Three hundred eighty-six days later (23 September 2021), the second positive result reached the same viral variant (Clade 20A) but without presence or circulation in Chile since May 2021. Both sequencing coverages showed an identity of 99.21%, with some mutations related to the severity of the disease (ORF1b:P314L) and more infectivity (S:D614G). This work reinforces the idea of implementing an RT-qPCR or rapid antigen test once the quarantine is fulfilled to ensure viral absence, identify potential persistence, and, consequently, minimize the risk of local outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Acuña-Castillo
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Departamento de Biolgía, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Kevin Maisey
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Mabel Vidal
- Department of Computer Science, University of Concepcion, Concepción 4070409, Chile
| | - Carlos Barrera-Avalos
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Ailen Inostroza-Molina
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Roberto Luraschi
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Eva Vallejos-Vidal
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Centro de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología CEDENNA, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Núcleo de Investigación Aplicada en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 7500975, Chile
| | - Daniel Valdés
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Departamento de Biolgía, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Mónica Imarai
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Departamento de Biolgía, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Felipe E. Reyes-López
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Correspondence: (F.E.R.-L.); (A.M.S.)
| | - Ana María Sandino
- Centro de Biotecnología Acuícola, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Departamento de Biolgía, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
- Correspondence: (F.E.R.-L.); (A.M.S.)
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Persistent RNA SARS-CoV-2 Detection in a HIV-Infected Patient. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:healthcare10060982. [PMID: 35742034 PMCID: PMC9222592 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10060982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to present a case of COVID-19 in a newly diagnosed HIV-infected, severely immunodepressed patient with a long persistence of positive RT-PCR for RNA SARS-CoV-2. Indirect data suggests that viable virus persisted for a long time in the absence of an adequate defense of the host. Improved immunity after starting antiretroviral treatment was not associated with an increased inflammatory reaction as regarding the infection due to the coronavirus and, apparently, was the main factor to control the infection. Remdesivir used to combat the SARS-CoV-2 infection had no immediate effect on the recorded cycle-threshold.
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Methylene blue, Mycophenolic acid, Posaconazole, and Niclosamide inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant BA.1 infection of human airway epithelial organoids. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2022; 3:100158. [PMID: 35935678 PMCID: PMC9338451 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2022.100158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sublineages of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) Omicron variants continue to amass mutations in the spike (S) glycoprotein, which leads to immune evasion and rapid spread of the virus across the human population. Here we demonstrate the susceptibility of the Omicron variant BA.1 (B.1.1.529.1) to four repurposable drugs, Methylene blue (MB), Mycophenolic acid (MPA), Posaconazole (POS), and Niclosamide (Niclo) in post-exposure treatments of primary human airway cell cultures. MB, MPA, POS, and Niclo are known to block infection of human nasal and bronchial airway epithelial explant cultures (HAEEC) with the Wuhan strain, and four variants of concern (VoC), Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (B.1.1.28), Delta (B.1.617.2) (Weiss et al., 2021, Murer et al., 2022). Our results here not only reinforce the broad anti-coronavirus effects of MB, MPA, POS and Niclo, but also demonstrate that the Omicron variant BA.1 (B.1.1.529.1) sheds infectious virus from HAEEC over at least 15 d, and maintains both intracellular and extracellular viral genomic RNA without overt toxicity, suggesting viral persistence. The data emphasize the potential of repurposable drugs against COVID-19.
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