Co-infection between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and the influenza Type B in Isfahan, Iran

Kiyan Heshmat-Ghahdarijani; Golnaz Vaseghi; Maryam Nasirian; Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard

doi:10.4103/jrms.JRMS_820_20

Co-infection between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and the influenza Type B in Isfahan, Iran

J Res Med Sci. 2021 Jul 31:26:51. doi: 10.4103/jrms.JRMS_820_20. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Kiyan Heshmat-Ghahdarijani¹, Golnaz Vaseghi², Maryam Nasirian³, Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard⁴

Affiliations

¹ Heart Failure Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
² Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health School, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
⁴ Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Some studies have been reported the rates of co-infection between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza virus in the different regions. In this study, we report the co-infection rates between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza type B in Isfahan, Iran.

Materials and methods: All patients with a definite diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from Isfahan COVID-19 registry (I-core) study were enrolled from February 2020.

Results: Of the 1639 laboratory COVID-19 confirmed in Isfahan province, only two persons were positive for Influenza B from Isfahan COVID-19 registry (I-core). Both patients were symptom-free after 3 months' follow-up.

Conclusion: During influenza season, differentiating other causes of respiratory illness from COVID-19 is difficult, because common clinical manifestations of COVID-19 mimic those of influenza. It seems that evaluating for co-infection with different types of influenza viruses in patients with specific settings should be considered.

Keywords: Coronavirus; coronavirus disease 2019; influenza.