Abstract

ACOSTA-FOCIL, Diana Rebeca; TOLEDO-ROJAS, Andrea Alejandra  and  FLEURY, Agnès. SARS-CoV-2 with positive re-test: a case study and bibliographic review. TIP [online]. 2021, vol.24, e364.  Epub Apr 17, 2023. ISSN 1405-888X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fesz.23958723e.2021.364.

One of the questions that remains regarding infection with SARS-CoV-2 is whether re-infection is possible and if so, what factors might be promoting it. To answer this question, we first presented the case of a patient with two probable successive infections by SARS-CoV-2. Then, we performed a review of the literature (using Pubmed, Scielo, Google Scholar and Elsevier) to assess the importance of having 2 RT-PCR positive tests separated by 1 negative. Three different circumstances have been identified: subjects with reinfection confirmed by genetic analysis of the virus; positive re-test in asymptomatic subjects; and subjects with possible reinfection. Different circumstances could be involved in the fact of a reinfection. One of them, the infection with a second virus genetically different from the first and that has not been affected by the immune response developed after the first infection, and the second, the fact that not all patients will develop a persistent protective immune response after a first infection. Many unknowns remain on this subject and more research is needed to better understand the characteristics of the immune response, as well as its efficacy on the different variants of the virus.

Keywords : COVID-19 reinfection case report; SARS-CoV-2 reinfection; SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; SARS-CoV-2 immunity; re-test positive to SARS-CoV-2.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )