In Sicily, a 36-year-old tested positive for Corona, monkeypox and HIV at the same time after a holiday in Spain, during which he had sex with men without a condom. It is the first case that all three diseases have been detected in one person at the same time, the researchers at the University of Catania report in the specialist magazine Journal of Infection .
First the Covid 19 infection was detected – then the other symptoms came
The man, who was fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and had already recovered from an infection in January, initially had a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a sore throat when he returned, he was constantly tired and exhausted. Four days after his return, a Covid 19 infection was finally diagnosed. On the same day, the 36-year-old developed a rash on his left arm and small, painful blisters and redness on his torso, legs, buttocks and face.
He then went to the emergency room of a hospital in Catania, Sicily. There he was transferred to the ward for highly contagious diseases – and in addition to the Covid 19 infection it was also found that his monkeypox and HIV tests were positive.
Monkeypox and corona symptoms can overlap
The HIV test also showed a high viral load of 234,000 virus copies per milliliter of blood plasma, which indicates a rather recent infection. In addition, an HIV test he took a year ago was still negative. The man is said to have contracted syphilis as early as 2019 – people who carry the syphilis pathogen are more likely to contract HIV.
The 36-year-old has now recovered from Corona and monkeypox, only a small scar is still visible. “The case shows how monkeypox and Covid-19 symptoms can overlap,” the scientists said.
Monkeypox contagious longer due to multiple infections
In addition, the multiple infection could have meant that the monkeypox was contagious in the man for longer. A tracheal swab was still positive after 20 days. However, since it is the only known case of such a triple infection so far, more information is needed to make a general statement.
“In view of the current Sars-Cov-2 pandemic and the daily increasing number of cases of monkeypox, healthcare systems must be aware of the possible consequences for patients,” says the case study. Since monkeypox is currently transmitted primarily through unprotected sex, they recommend “full STI screening” in all suspected cases, i.e. a test for all sexually transmitted diseases.