Intra-Omicron Reinfection with JN.1.16 and NB.1.8.1 in a Preterm Infant: First NB.1.8.1 Detection in Tunisia—A Case Report
Zaineb Hamzaoui, Sana Ferjani, Ameni Sallemi, Salma Abid, Amal Miraoui, Ichrak Landolsi, Latifa Charaa, Khaled Menif, Lamia Kanzari, Ilhem Boutiba-Ben Boubaker · 2026
Read Intra-Omicron Reinfection with JN.1.16 and NB.1.8.1 in a Preterm Infant: First NB.1.8.1 Detection in Tunisia—A Case Report by Zaineb Hamzaoui, Sana Ferjani, Ameni Sallemi, Salma Abid, Amal Miraoui, Ichrak Landolsi, Latifa Charaa, Khaled Menif, Lamia Kanzari, Ilhem Boutiba-Ben Boubaker (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13209800.txt.
Description
A preterm baby in Tunisia caught COVID twice in seven weeks, each time from a different Omicron offshoot. Zaineb Hamzaoui and co-authors report the case in detail. At forty days old the infant needed a ventilator for severe lung disease from one sub-lineage. A common cold coronavirus followed at day sixty-five. At day eighty-seven a milder reinfection arrived, caused by a newer sub-lineage never before found in Tunisia.
Gene reads showed the two viruses shared a backbone but differed at key spike sites. That distance, plus the baby's immature immunity, explains the quick reinfection. The authors argue for gene surveillance in children, not just adults. Tracking variants in the youngest patients can flag new arrivals early.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zaineb Hamzaoui, Sana Ferjani, Ameni Sallemi, Salma Abid, Amal Miraoui, Ichrak Landolsi, Latifa Charaa, Khaled Menif, Lamia Kanzari, Ilhem Boutiba-Ben Boubaker |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 21 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |