Pneumonia Due to Human Coronavirus OC43 in an Immunocompetent Adult Detected by Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction

Abstract

A 40-year-old woman developed a fever, sore throat, and cough. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was suspected; chest CT showed pan-lobular ground-glass opacity in the bilateral lower lobes suggesting viral pneumonia. Although a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) test for COVID-19 using a nasopharyngeal swab was negative, she was hospitalized and isolated because COVID-19 could not be ruled out. After admission, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the FilmArray Respiratory Panel 2.1 from a nasopharyngeal swab was positive for human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43. Therefore, the diagnosis was pneumonia due to HCoV-OC43. Multiplex PCR is useful for differentiating pneumonia due to COVID-19 from that due to other viral pneumonias.

Montelukast Inhibits HCoV-OC43 Infection as a Viral Inactivator

“…HCoV-OC43, the prototype member of the genus beta-coronavirus which likely originated from rodents [ 38 , 39 ], is not only responsible for 15–30% of cases of common colds in humans each year [ 30 , 40 ] but is also able to cause pneumonia and viral encephalitis [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. More attention should be paid to therapies for diseases caused by HCoV-OC43.…”