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Early SARS-CoV-2 Reinfections Involving the Same or Different Genomic Lineages, Spain

Cristina Rodríguez-Grande, Agustín Estévez, Rosalía Palomino-Cabrera

    Emerging Infectious Diseases
    |May 2, 2023
    PubMed

    Insights

    Early SARS-CoV-2 reinfections can occur within weeks, often involving new variants. This suggests current guidelines for reinfection timing may need re-evaluation due to rapid viral evolution.

    Area of Science:

    • Virology
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Genomics

    Background:

    • Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines define SARS-CoV-2 reinfection as occurring >90 days apart.
    • Genomic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 may lead to reduced cross-protection from prior infection.
    • Assessing early reinfection is crucial for understanding viral evolution and immunity.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the occurrence and characteristics of early SARS-CoV-2 reinfections.
    • To determine the role of different SARS-CoV-2 variants and subvariants in early reinfections.
    • To evaluate the current 90-day interval for defining reinfection.

    Main Methods:

    • Genomic analysis of sequential SARS-CoV-2 samples from 26 patients with two COVID-19 episodes (20-45 days apart).
    • Host genomic analysis to confirm sample origin.
    • Comparison of viral variants/subvariants between sequential episodes.

    Main Results:

    • 42% of patients experienced reinfection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants or subvariants.
    • 36.4% of reinfections involved a switch from non-Omicron to Omicron lineages.
    • Early reinfections showed no distinct clinical patterns, occurring across vaccination statuses and age groups.

    Conclusions:

    • The 90-day interval for defining SARS-CoV-2 reinfection may be too long given rapid viral evolution.
    • Early reinfections with distinct variants are common and warrant further investigation.
    • Reinfection timing criteria may need revision to reflect current SARS-CoV-2 genomic diversity.
    Keywords:
    COVID-19SARSSARS-CoV-2Spaincoronaviruscoronavirus diseaserespiratory infectionssevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2viruseszoonoses

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