Asymptomatic reinfection in two healthcare workers from India with genetically distinct SARS-CoV-2

This paper looks at two case studies of genetically distinct SARS-CoV-2 reinfections – the first time that reinfections are reported in asymptomatic patients – raising questions about the immunity obtained following infection. It is possible that many SARS-CoV-2 reinfections are undetected indicating a requirement for strict surveillance in healthcare systems. 

Research Highlights 

1. Two healthcare workers who were asymptomatic were reinfected with genetically distinct SARS-CoV-2 

2. Both patients were reinfected within 4 months 

3. Seven variants each for the two patients mapped to predicted immune epitopes 

4. Both individuals had a higher viral load upon reinfection 

5. Genetic variant 22882T>G (S:N440K) was found in patient 2 reinfection - possibly confers to resistance to neutralizing antibodies 

Impact for COVID-19 research:  

Highlights the need for surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, especially in the healthcare setting 

Methodologies: 

• Study Type: Case-study 

• Key Techniques: Sequencing-ready libraries were prepared using capture-based (TWIST Biosciences) as well as amplicon-based (COVIDSeq, Illumina) approaches 

Limitations: 

• Only two patients were investigated