SARS-CoV-2 can mutate in HIV patients

This information is confirmed by the history of a 22-year-old female patient from South Africa. A woman with uncontrolled advanced HIV infection was continuously exposed to the beta variant SARS-CoV-2 for nine months. When she stopped HIV treatment, the virus had accumulated over 20 additional COVID-19 mutations in her body. However, thanks to antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, the patient was cured of COVID-19 within 6-9 weeks.

The researchers conclude that COVID-19 can persist for months in HIV-infected patients who, for various reasons, have not taken medications that enable them to lead a healthy life. There is also a hypothesis that the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants may in some cases be associated with untreated HIV virus. Leading South African scientists intend to further investigate the combination of COVID-19 and HIV, with increasing evidence that the collision of the two pandemics could generate new variants of the coronavirus. The Network for Genomic Surveillance team in South Africa, which was the first to announce the Omicron variant, said it will start researching patients with untreated HIV and confirmed COVID-19. Some researchers have suggested that this may be how Omicron and some other COVID variants developed, but this thesis is yet to be confirmed.

In the context of these reports, it is also important how the pandemic influenced the level of HIV tests performed. In many countries, this indicator has dropped significantly. Saoirse Fitzpatrick, head of advocacy at StopAids, said a response to COVID-19 that ignores the response to HIV is not a sufficient approach to public health. South Africa has the world's largest HIV epidemic with 8.2 million people infected. Only about 71% are treated. adults and 45 percent children.

Source: Reuters/India TV News