(CMR) A 36-year-old man from Italy tested positive for COVID-19, monkeypox, and HIV all at the same time after returning from a trip to Spain, researchers from the University of Catania in Italy said.
The scientists stated in the Journal of Infection that the 36-year-old man, who has not been identified, developed fever, a sore throat, fatigue, and headache due to the co-infection. The man reportedly spent five days in Spain in June and developed the symptoms nine days after returning to Italy.
The man received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and had already contracted the virus in January. He tested positive for COVID-19 a second time on July 2 and began developing a rash on his left arm on the same day.
The next day, small, painful vesicles surrounding a rash appeared on the patient's torso, lower limbs, face, and glutes. The vesicles continued to spread on July 5 and developed into pustules, which prompted him to go to the emergency department at the University Hospital in Catania, where he was transferred to the Infectious Diseases Unit.
The patient also tested positive for monkeypox after reporting that he had unprotected intercourse with men while in Spain. STI tests also returned positive for HIV; scientists said they “assume that the infection was relatively recent.”
“This case highlights how monkeypox and COVID-19 symptoms may overlap and corroborates how in case of co-infection, anamnestic collection and sexual habits are crucial to perform the correct diagnosis,” researchers said.
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