Pathogen News and Research

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SARS-CoV-2 mutations may evade T cell immunity

A potentially disturbing new study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may be undergoing strategic mutations that affect the host immune capacity to recognize and combat the pathogen via T effector cells.

23 Dec 2020

Reston virus causes severe respiratory disease in piglets

Reston ebolavirus (RESTV) should be considered a livestock pathogen with potential to affect other mammals, including people, according to National Institutes of Health scientists.

21 Dec 2020

Nearly half of US hospitals have reached critical care capacity, study finds

A new study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brown University shows that about half of US hospitals have reported reaching critical capacity since September, illustrating the scale of the coronavirus pandemic’s ‘second wave’ and the burden of pressure it has placed on the nation’s healthcare.

21 Dec 2020

New portable shield prevents spread of saliva and aerosols generated during dental procedures

Dental treatments are performed at close proximity to the mouths and noses of the patients, and the procedures are often related to the generation of aerosols as well as handling of oral fluids and blood. This puts dentists at a high risk of exposure to COVID-19, and other critical infectious diseases.

21 Dec 2020

Many US health experts underestimated the coronavirus … until it was too late

A year ago, while many Americans were finishing their holiday shopping and finalizing travel plans, doctors in Wuhan, China, were battling a mysterious outbreak of pneumonia with no known cause.

21 Dec 2020

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the wellbeing of healthcare workers?

A new study by US-based researchers – at the Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center and Columbia University – has found that healthcare workers have experienced significant psychiatric distress during the pandemic.

21 Dec 2020

Cross-reactive coronavirus antibodies shape COVID-19 convalescent plasma functionality

The onset of the current COVID-19 pandemic revealed the seventh known pathogenic human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

21 Dec 2020

Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 transmission in large urban areas

A team of international researchers used mobility information and socio-demographic data to build a model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to understand where, when, and how many transmission events occurred in the first wave of the pandemic in the United States.

18 Dec 2020

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Researchers at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Bogotá, Colombia, provided evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 deaths in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, type of health insurance regime, and socioeconomic status.

18 Dec 2020

Study recommends blinded crossover and continued follow-ups to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine durability

A new multicenter study has shown that blinded crossover and continued follow-up of trial participants can help assess vaccine durability and potential delayed enhancement of disease.

18 Dec 2020

Cell atlas helps better understand the biology of tropical disease parasite

The first cell atlas of an important life stage of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic worm that poses a risk to hundreds of millions of people each year, has been developed by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators.

18 Dec 2020

PVP at Boston Children's awarded $1 million to extend research into adjuvant-based vaccines

For a vaccine to be most effective, sometimes nature needs a little 'extra' something. That something is often an adjuvant -- small molecules added to a vaccine that boost the body's immune response.

17 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 surface proteins alter the expression of key chemokines and cytokines in cell lines

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, United States of America, recently demonstrated that the SARS-CoV-2 surface proteins alone triggered innate cell activity and the interferon signaling pathway.

17 Dec 2020

Gene surfing caused the SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant to rise to dominance in the US

A recent preprint that appeared on the bioRxiv* server applies a new approach to conventional birth-death lineage modeling.

17 Dec 2020

Researchers use bacterial strains to measure host gene expression in mouse model

The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the nasopharynx and can cause pneumonia. Then, it can spread from the lungs to the bloodstream and cause organ damage.

16 Dec 2020

Expanded biodiversity infrastructure is essential for pandemic preparedness, say experts

When you imagine a visit to a natural history museum, the first thing that springs to mind could be dinosaur bones or taxidermized animals.

16 Dec 2020

Researchers focus on preventing infections caused by carbapenemase-producing bacteria

In 2017, the World Health Organization published a list of pathogens for which new drugs are urgently needed.

16 Dec 2020

Autoimmune condition biomarkers promote SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, study finds

Researchers have reported that the autoimmune PTPN2 risk variant rs1893217 promotes the expression of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, ACE2, and thus promotes cellular entry, which is mediated by SARS-CoV-2 spike S protein.

16 Dec 2020

AI-based study of social media maps SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy across the US

Researchers from the University of Rochester, USA, has produced an AI-based study that analyzes the social media platform Twitter to gauge public opinions in the US surrounding SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to shed greater light on this issue.

15 Dec 2020

Could wastewater surveillance help track SARS-COV-2 community outbreaks?

A team of US-based researchers recently conducted an illuminating study that explores this method and its potential uses. In doing so, they have underscored the potential utility of wastewater surveillance in managing SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.

15 Dec 2020

Pathogen News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 mutations may evade T cell immunity

Reston virus causes severe respiratory disease in piglets

Nearly half of US hospitals have reached critical care capacity, study finds

New portable shield prevents spread of saliva and aerosols generated during dental procedures

Many US health experts underestimated the coronavirus … until it was too late

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the wellbeing of healthcare workers?

Cross-reactive coronavirus antibodies shape COVID-19 convalescent plasma functionality

Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 transmission in large urban areas

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Study recommends blinded crossover and continued follow-ups to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine durability

Cell atlas helps better understand the biology of tropical disease parasite

PVP at Boston Children's awarded $1 million to extend research into adjuvant-based vaccines

SARS-CoV-2 surface proteins alter the expression of key chemokines and cytokines in cell lines

Gene surfing caused the SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant to rise to dominance in the US

Researchers use bacterial strains to measure host gene expression in mouse model

Expanded biodiversity infrastructure is essential for pandemic preparedness, say experts

Researchers focus on preventing infections caused by carbapenemase-producing bacteria

Autoimmune condition biomarkers promote SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, study finds

AI-based study of social media maps SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy across the US

Could wastewater surveillance help track SARS-COV-2 community outbreaks?

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