SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in a healthcare worker: First case in Portugal confirmed by viral genome sequencing

Cláudio Nunes-Silva; Sara Pereira; Gabriela Canelas; Nicole Pedro; Paulo Fernandes; Luísa Pereira; Margarida Tavares

doi:10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000171

SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in a healthcare worker: First case in Portugal confirmed by viral genome sequencing

Porto Biomed J. 2022 Feb 8;7(1):e171. doi: 10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000171. eCollection 2022 Mar-Apr.

Authors

Cláudio Nunes-Silva^{1

2}, Sara Pereira^{1

2}, Gabriela Canelas¹, Nicole Pedro^{3

4

5}, Paulo Fernandes⁶, Luísa Pereira^{3

4}, Margarida Tavares^{1

2

3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases and Emerging Infectious Diseases Unit, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal.
² FMUP - Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
³ i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Ipatimup - Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁵ ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁶ CISAS - Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
⁷ EPI Unit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Portugal.

Abstract

Few reports of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection by antigenically similar variants are well documented. The interplay between natural acquired immunity, escape by emerging variants, and protective measures in the healthcare setting is considered in this description of the first phylogenetically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in Portugal.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; healthcare worker; immunity; reinfection.