Immune characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 coinfection: A case report and mini-review

Since its first appearance in Wuhan, China, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has rapidly spread throughout the world and has become a global pandemic. It remains unclear whether people living with human immunodeficiency virus are at an increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 and severe disease manifestation; until now, the evidence regarding the outcomes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in people living with human immunodeficiency virus is still limited and conflicting. The clinical characteristics of seven patients of family cluster-onset coronavirus disease 2019 were reported, including the immune characteristics of one patient of human immunodeficiency virus/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 coinfection. In the patients of human immunodeficiency virus/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 coinfection, about 2 weeks after infection, it was observed that CD4 and CD8 count showed a downward trend and that of CD8 is more obvious; at the same time, lymphocytes showed a slight increase. CD4, CD8, and lymphocytes are in the plateau period from the second week to the fourth week. About 4 weeks after infection, all showed an increase, in which anti-coronavirus combined with antiviral therapy were given. The time for Nucleic Acid Testing to present as negative was 51 days. The other six patients in the family were non–human immunodeficiency virus infected, the familial cluster received parallel treatment, and the median time for the Nucleic Acid Testing to present as negative was 29 days. The patient of human immunodeficiency virus/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 coinfection presents an immune state of CD4’s and CD8’s dual lymphatic depletion. Human immunodeficiency virus should still be regarded as an important factor in future risk stratification models for coronavirus disease 2019.