Italian man tests positive for monkeypox, COVID-19 and HIV simultaneously after sex with men

A 36-year-old man who returned to Italy after a five-day trip to Spain and suffered from fever, a sore throat, fatigue, and headache among others, has been tested positive for monkeypox, COVID-19 and HIV simultaneously, BNO News reported.

Reportedly, during his stay in the country, he admitted of having had unprotected sex with multiple men.

On developing the above symptoms nine days after returning from abroad, on June 2, he was not only tested positive for COVID-19 but also asked to get monkeypox, HIV and a series of tests done. Clinical experts in the premises suspected monkeypox while they spotted a rash on his left arm along some blisters.

The HIV test of the man indicated that he had a high viral load. It was strange to note that the Italian man was positive for all the three medical conditions. A week after treatment, he was discharged from the hospital having recovered from both monkeypox and coronavirus.

Amidst the monkeypox outreak in Spain, a man who toured Gran Canaria had engaged in multiple condomless receptive and insertive intercourse with over 20 partners. We believe that the infection was locally acquired in Italy, given the long delay in symptoms onset following return, stated a report by the Journal of Infection.

The study report further said, "He presented to our clinic complaining diarrhea, rash and perianal lesions, a specific Real-Time PCR targeting Monkeypox virus DNA (Liferiver - SHANGHAI ZJ BIO-TECH CO., LTD) subsequently confirmed the MPX virus infection."

The Journal of Infection suggested that the case corroborates the idea that sexual intercourse could be the predominant way of transmission of MPX.