Cross antigenicity of Salmonella typhi and novel coronavirus antibody in second wave of COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

During second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, increase in incidence of typhoid was observed in different cities of Pakistan. Rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 and typhoid are less sensitive and confirmatory tests are required to diagnose the infection. Moreover, COVID-19 IgM mimic Salmonella typhi IgM and have same clinical presentations as typhoid. Muzaffargarh is a district of province Punjab. Being a hotspot for COVID-19, it also has high prevalence of Typhoid. Therefore, in this study we aim to evaluate the cross antigenicity of COVID-19 IgM with Salmonella typhi IgM. 593 patients were enrolled in study with informed consent. Blood samples were collected from patients and laboratory biomarkers were analyzed. Data was recorded and statistical analysis was done. Among study participants, 64% were males while 36% were females. All the laboratory biomarkers were elevated in all the patients. Different age groups didn't exhibit difference in all laboratory biomarkers except ferritin. Significant difference was observed in creatinine, LDH and ferritin levels in male and female patients. It can be concluded that all age groups are under same risk. However, disease severity is higher in male population.