Codetections of SARS-CoV-2 with Other Respiratory Viruses among Patients with COVID-19 in Senegal

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic have sparked renewed interest for viral respiratory infections.Respiratory viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 are known for their widespread involvement in acute respiratory infections, as well as their endemicity with seasonal peaks.As was observed in various areas, co-infections in COVID-19positive patients may increase the risk of disease severity.In Senegal, the prevalence of respiratory viral coinfections in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 has not fully been assessed.In this retrospective study conducted in an urban environment, we investigated the occurrence and prevalence of viral respiratory coinfections in COVID-19-positive patients during the first and second epidemic waves of COVID-19 in Senegal.Using the FTD Respiratory pathogens 21 multiplex PCR kit, 437 nucleic acid extracts from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 positive samples between May 2020 and May 2021 were analyzed.Of these, 15 samples (3.43%) were coinfected with at least 1 additional virus.Nine different respiratory viruses were detected among these fifteen samples.The most common respiratory viruses were adenovirus (n =6, 40%) and rhinovirus (n =4, 26.67%).Interestingly, only 1 case of SARS-CoV-2 co-detection involving influenza B was detected in the study samples.The median age of coinfected patients was 40.5 years; 73.33% identified themselves as female and 26.67% as male.Respiratory viral coinfections were more frequent in the 30-60 age group.Our results are likely to prompt more advanced studies of respiratory viral coinfections associated with SARS-CoV-2 during the four epidemic waves experienced by Senegal, to assess their evolutionary dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic.