Pathogen News and Research

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Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine developed from bacterial extracellular vesicle induces robust antibody response in preclinical trials

A team of US-based scientists recently developed a novel vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, the causative pathogen of COVID-19. The vaccine is composed of extracellular vesicles of Salmonella typhimurium incorporated with the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. Upon intranasal administration in hamsters, the vaccine induces strong blood antibody titers and protects against severe COVID-19.

30 Jun 2021

Is mild COVID-19 in children due to stronger antiviral innate immunity in the upper airway?

A new preprint on the medRxiv* server adds fuel to this train of thought, showing that the required cell program is already active in children – namely, a higher expression of specific pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which mediate an interferon (IFN) response.

30 Jun 2021

NIH-funded adjuvant improves the efficacy India's COVID-19 vaccine

An adjuvant developed with funding from the National Institutes of Health has contributed to the success of the highly efficacious COVAXIN COVID-19 vaccine, which roughly 25 million people have received to date in India and elsewhere.

30 Jun 2021

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections fewer among fully vaccinated

A team of researchers at Indiana University reports genomic evidence of breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals. The study, posted to the pre-print server medRxiv*, suggests that fully vaccinated individuals, including those with asymptomatic infections, are less likely to serve as a source of infection for others.

30 Jun 2021

Can COVID-19 waves be predicted using early warning signal indicators?

Researchers combined daily case data and a sequential analysis using the critical slowing down model to predict coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) waves almost two weeks before their onset.

29 Jun 2021

Study offers more evidence that face masks can prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission

A new study released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server suggests that the use of face masks, of various designs, successfully prevents SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This supports the continued implementation of mask policies in public places until herd immunity is achieved in the region involved.

29 Jun 2021

The technology behind face masks that can diagnose COVID-19

Researchers have recently incorporated technology into standard face masks to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2.

29 Jun 2021

How does dexamethasone therapy work in severe COVID-19?

The possible mechanisms that result in dexamethasone being an effective drug against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection are investigated in a new study. The paper’s authors advance the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces cell-specific insensitivity to glucocorticoids, possibly as an unintentional result of the viral replication cycle.

29 Jun 2021

Nanotechnology and the fight against COVID-19

In a review paper published in the open-access MDPI journal Viruses, a team of researchers explored the potential of nanotechnology to alleviate the current and future coronavirus burden. The team focused on its potential role in the detection, diagnosis, protection, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

29 Jun 2021

UIC researchers offer free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are offering free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities and performing genomic sequencing on the samples to identify variants.

28 Jun 2021

Specific lung cell exhibits immune properties and improves respiratory viral disease outcomes

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have discovered that a specific type of lung cell exhibits unconventional immune properties and may contribute to the outcome of respiratory viral infections.

28 Jun 2021

DNA sequencing from water and leech bloodmeals helps identify novel mammalian viruses

In a new scientific investigation headed by the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, water from African and Mongolian waterholes as well as bloodmeals from Southeast Asian leeches were assessed for the ability to retrieve mammalian viruses without the need to find and catch the mammals.

28 Jun 2021

New molecule extracted from the leaves of chestnut tree neutralizes staph bacteria

Scientists isolated a molecule, extracted from the leaves of the European chestnut tree, with the power to neutralize dangerous, drug-resistant staph bacteria. Frontiers in Pharmacology published the finding, led by scientists at Emory University.

28 Jun 2021

Study associates higher antibody titers with naïve B cells post-mRNA vaccination

Researchers compared peripheral blood mononuclear cells in people with high and low antibody titers after two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccine. They found a positive correlation between naïve B cells present before vaccination and high antibody titers.

28 Jun 2021

What have been the main drivers of COVID-19's rapid spread in Brazil?

New research suggests that if a lockdown had been imposed earlier on in superspreader cities like São Paulo, mandatory road traffic restrictions had been enforced, and ICU beds had been allocated more equitably across geographical regions, Brazil’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic might have been mitigated.

28 Jun 2021

Why SARS-CoV-2 delta variant is more infectious

German experts recently explained why the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant is more infectious and pathogenic than its ancestor. By conducting a series of in vitro experiments, they have revealed that increased ability to induce cell-to-cell fusion (syncytia) and reduced susceptibility to vaccine and infection-induced antibodies make the delta variant more infectious than previously circulating variants. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

28 Jun 2021

Structural studies of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveal new properties of Alpha and Beta variants

New SARS-CoV-2 variants are spreading rapidly, and there are fears that current COVID-19 vaccines won't protect against them.

25 Jun 2021

Researchers determine molecular structure of bacterial protein complex critical for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide, infecting about one-quarter of the world's population. Although it is treatable, the rise of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis poses a major threat to global health security, and has been declared by the World Health Organization as a global health emergency.

25 Jun 2021

UNC study provides important information for developing a viable vaccine against dengue

Developing a viable vaccine against dengue virus has proved difficult because the pathogen is actually four different virus types, or serotypes. Unless a vaccine protects against all four, a vaccine can wind up doing more harm than good.

25 Jun 2021

Overcrowding and multigenerational housing arrangements increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk

Researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College aimed to determine the role of overcrowded households as a risk factor for COVID-19. The study's objective, which appeared in the medRxiv* pre-print server, was to examine the link between overcrowded and multigenerational households and COVID-19 in New York City.

25 Jun 2021

Pathogen News and Research

Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine developed from bacterial extracellular vesicle induces robust antibody response in preclinical trials

Is mild COVID-19 in children due to stronger antiviral innate immunity in the upper airway?

NIH-funded adjuvant improves the efficacy India's COVID-19 vaccine

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections fewer among fully vaccinated

Can COVID-19 waves be predicted using early warning signal indicators?

Study offers more evidence that face masks can prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission

The technology behind face masks that can diagnose COVID-19

How does dexamethasone therapy work in severe COVID-19?

Nanotechnology and the fight against COVID-19

UIC researchers offer free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities

Specific lung cell exhibits immune properties and improves respiratory viral disease outcomes

DNA sequencing from water and leech bloodmeals helps identify novel mammalian viruses

New molecule extracted from the leaves of chestnut tree neutralizes staph bacteria

Study associates higher antibody titers with naïve B cells post-mRNA vaccination

What have been the main drivers of COVID-19's rapid spread in Brazil?

Why SARS-CoV-2 delta variant is more infectious

Structural studies of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveal new properties of Alpha and Beta variants

Researchers determine molecular structure of bacterial protein complex critical for tuberculosis

UNC study provides important information for developing a viable vaccine against dengue

Overcrowding and multigenerational housing arrangements increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk

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