Co-evolution of Sars-Cov-2 with Haemophilus Influenzae ?

[Christer Svensson]

The first organism to get its genome fully mapped by Craig Venter is said to have been Haemophilus Influenzae (HI)

“This species was the first free-living organism to have its entire genomesequenced.^[3]”

Incidentally this bacteria was thought to be responsible for the Spanish Flue before viruses were discovered 

probably by reason of coinfection.

It can at times present scialic acid receptors on its outer membrane

 

https://portal.research.lu.se/portal/files/5264874/1639436.pdf  
 

see figure

“Haemophilus influenzae, have an additional use for sialic acid in an immune evasion mechanism by adding Neu5Ac to their lipopolysaccharide (

7, 

8), which provides increased survival in human serum (

9, 

10)”

 

Having a scialic acid receptor where the acid is acquired from a human host

just like human cells having scialic acid receptors may render HI susceptible to transfection ?

 

The HI bacteria requires V factor and X factor that are provided by

streptococci 

 

thus suggestive of a possible 

co-evolution of Streptococcus  And Haemophilus Influenzae and Sars-Cov-2 accessing HI’s cytoplasm.

With Sars-Cov-2 possibly replicating, evading immunity and evolving inside HI, similarly to bacterial plasmids 

 

Bacterial proteases can cleave HA during co-infections

 

Interestingly, certain bacteria have been demonstrated to support HA

(Viral Haem Agglutinin)

 

activation either by secreting proteases that cleave HA or due to activation of cellular proteases and thereby may contribute to virus spread and enhanced pathogenicity.

 

Incidentally 

At 1 mg/l, 100% of the strains of H. influenzae were inhibited by azithromycin compared with 16% with erythromycin and 5% with roxithromycin. Azithromycin exhibited a rapid bactericidal effect, with a 99.9% kill at 4 h. The MBC was equal to or up to four-times greater than the MIC

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

If the above assumptions should prove correct then:

 

Haemophilus Influenzae should be looked into as a risk factor 

in Covid-19

 

and Sars-Cov-2 blocked from evolving 

new variants by convolution with HI 

Which may be achieved by Azitromycin 

 

Diagnostics could include testing for HI and treatment include Azitromycin 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Christer Svensson

[Christer Svensson]

And possibly also as a contributing factor in the rapid evolution of new variants 

as the bacteria engages its Crispr like defenses as a result of a transfection event