Co-infections of SARS Cov-2 and other respiratory viruses at the CHU Ibn Rochd in Casablanca: About 10 cases

Currently the risk of co-infections COVID-19 with other respiratory viruses, in particular Influenza virus, is real, however their consequences are not well documented. Thus, the rapid and simultaneous identification of co-infections can help improve patient care. We report here, ten cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with other viruses. These cases were diagnosed at the Ibn Rochd University Hospital Center in Casablanca (Morocco). Diagnosis was made by multiplex PCR (BioFire Film-Array PCR (Biomérieux®) on a nasopharyngeal sample. The number of viruses detected per patient (in addition to SARS-Cov-2) varies from one to five viruses. We detected the Influenza A virus in nine cases, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in five cases, Rhinovirus/Enterovirus in six cases, Metapneumovirus in two cases and Coronavirus NL63 in one case. It should be noted that the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR came back negative in two cases. These ten observations suggest the need to take into account other respiratory viruses in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection, as these coinfections can lead to the occurrence of complications. Also, the use of syndromic diagnosis by multiplex PCR can be useful in certain situations.