Two residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) have cases of simultaneous infection with two strains of coronavirus. This is reported by TASS with reference to local media.
According to scientist Fernando Spilki from the laboratory of molecular microbiology at the University of Novo Amburg, two patients are about 30 years old. Their disease was mild to moderate. However, so far, experts cannot predict how dangerous the course of the disease may be in patients at risk.
Scientists suggest that we can also talk about sequential infection with two different strains of SARS-CoV-2 with a short time interval. Thus, this indicates the importance of isolating those infected and adhering to social distancing measures.
In total, researchers have identified five varieties of coronavirus in the state, among which there are strains with a mutation in the S-protein. According to some experts, they are more infectious compared to the type of virus found in Wuhan, China. In addition, changes in the structure of the envelope of the virus are characteristic of the South African and Brazilian strains.
In December, Russian scientists recorded the world’s first known case of infection with two strains of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at once, which led to the death of a patient. Researchers have identified widespread groups of GH and GR strains in nasopharyngeal swab samples from a 90-year-old patient. In the first test, the first one accounted for 70 percent of the total number of viral particles, and in the second, only three percent with a predominance of the GR strain. At the same time, the type of coronavirus related to GH was previously unknown.