Italian man diagnosed with Covid-19, monkeypox and HIV in a single day
- The 36-year-old coronavirus patient broke out in a rash, leading to further tests that revealed the other 2 infections
- As this is the first known co-infection of the 3 conditions, doctors do not yet know how the trio of viruses could affect a patient’s condition
A man who tested positive for Covid-19 broke out in a rash later that day. Tests revealed he also had monkeypox and HIV, according to a case study in the Journal of Infection.
The 36-year-old patient, who was not identified by name in the report, is the first in the world to test positive for all three infections in a single day, the researchers said.
The Italian man reported that he developed a fever, sore throat and headaches nine days after returning from a trip to Spain. He tested positive for Covid-19 on July 2 – and his symptoms escalated past the typical presentation of the virus within hours.
First, the man noticed a rash starting to form on his left arm. Small, painful blisters appeared on his face, torso, legs and backside the following day. As the blisters continued to spread and turned into telltale pustules, the man decided to seek emergency care at a hospital in Catania, Italy.
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On July 6 – just a few days after his first symptoms – the man was diagnosed with a co-infection of Covid-19, monkeypox, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). His case shows how early symptoms of monkeypox and Covid-19 can overlap, and underscores the importance of testing for other sexually transmitted infections after a diagnosis of monkeypox, doctors wrote in the report.