The key difference between coinfection and superinfection is that coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple microbial agents, while superinfection is the reinfection of a host that is superimposed on an earlier infection by a different microbial agent.
Infection is the invasion of host tissues by microbial pathogens and their multiplication within the respective host. Infections lead to the reaction of host tissues to infectious agents and their toxins. Infectious agents are microbial pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The immune system can fight against these infections. There are two responses developed by the immune system against infectious agents, and they are called innate response and adaptive response. Coinfection and superinfection are two different types of infection modes by microbial agents.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Coinfection
3. What is Superinfection
4. Similarities – Coinfection and Superinfection
5. Coinfection vs Superinfection in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Coinfection vs Superinfection
What is Coinfection?
Coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple microbial agents. A popular example of coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a single cell by two or more virus particles. This is more evident in humans when there is a coinfection of liver cells with both the hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Moreover, common coinfection occurs in people with tuberculosis and HIV. In some countries, approximately 80% of tuberculosis patients also contract HIV. Other well-known examples are coinfection of HIV-polymicrobial infections like Lyme disease, rhinovirus-respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumovirus or parainfluenza virus, dengue-HIV, dengue-chikungunya, HIV- sexually transmitted diseases, COVID19-seasonal flu, Chagas disease-HIV, Hookworm-malaria, HIV-HCV, bacteriophage, and anaplasmosis.
Figure 01: Coinfection
Furthermore, the global prevalence of coinfection among humans is still not known yet. However, it is thought to be a common phenomenon and is more normal than a single infection. For example, coinfection with helminths affects approximately 800 million people worldwide.
What is Superinfection?
Superinfection occurs when there is a reinfection or second infection of a host that is superimposed on an earlier infection by a different microbial agent. The second microbial agent which causes reinfection in this case is of exogenous or endogenous origin and is resistant to the treatment being used against the first or initial infection. Common examples of superinfection in bacteriology are the overgrowth of endogenous Clostridium difficile after treatment with a broad-spectrum antibiotic to different diseases and pneumonia or sepsis from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients who are immunocompromised.
Figure 02: Superinfection
When it comes to virology, the superinfection definition is slightly different. According to virology, superinfection is the reinfection of a cell that has been previously infected by one virus with a different strain of the virus or another virus at a later point in time. A well-known example is the SARS-COV-2 virus which is associated with the superinfection and colonization of other pathogens like rhinovirus and Moraxella spp. Furthermore, superinfection can also be seen in parasitology. A common example is a person who is infected by Fasciola hepatica being again infected by Fasciola gigantica, which is another species in the same genus.
What are the Similarities Between Coinfection and Superinfection?
- Coinfection and superinfection are two different types of infection modes by microbial agents.
- Both phenomena can be seen in bacteriology, virology, and parasitology.
- They are extremely important for aspects of human health and the discovery of new drugs for different diseases.
- These phenomena help to assess the effectiveness of a new drug for a disease.
What is the Difference Between Coinfection and Superinfection?
Coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple microbial agents, while superinfection is the reinfection of a host that is superimposed on an earlier infection by a different microbial agent. Thus, this is the key difference between coinfection and superinfection. Furthermore, coinfection is a less common phenomenon, while superinfection is a more common phenomenon.
The following table summarizes the difference between coinfection and superinfection.
Summary – Coinfection vs Superinfection
Coinfection and superinfection are two different ways in which infections are caused by microbial agents. Coinfection is the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple microbial agents, while superinfection is the reinfection of a host that is superimposed on an earlier infection by a different microbial agent. So, this is the key difference between coinfection and superinfection.
Reference:
1. “Coinfection.” Coinfection – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
2. “Superinfections – Why Should I Care?” ReAct, 21 Aug. 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “FACT- Antibiotics CANNOT prevent or treat COVID-19” By World Health Organization (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Marine virus-host interactions” By Mathias Middelboe and Corina P. D. Brussaard – source (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia