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Mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients may be contagious for longer than previously thought

Researchers in Brazil have reported two cases of people with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) shedding infectious virus for a significantly longer period than has previously been reported.

23 Nov 2020

Repeat infection following COVID-19 recovery may not pose risk to close contacts

Researchers in China have conducted a study suggesting that people who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may not pose a risk to close contacts if they become reinfected with the causative agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

23 Nov 2020

Study suggests neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies offer protection against reinfection

A new study published in November 2020 on the preprint server medRxiv* indicates that the chances of symptomatic infection are indeed much lower among the population with antibodies to the virus.

22 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses ACE2 activity in COVID-19 patients

A recent study conducted by a team of international scientists has revealed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suppresses the expression and function of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and induces the expression of interferon-stimulated genes at the initial phase of infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

20 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes

A recent study examined the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, finding that no severe adverse outcomes are expected to either party.

19 Nov 2020

Discovery of 'Achilles heel' in protein crucial to HIV virulence could lead to new class of drugs

The discovery of a potential "Achilles heel" in Nef, the protein that is crucial to HIV virulence and its capacity to trigger AIDS, paves the way for the development of a new class of drugs against the virus.

17 Nov 2020

COVID-19 outbreak on an American aircraft carrier: A case study in transmission

A new study showing the dynamics of infectious spread within close quarters of an aircraft carrier. The study presents a rich case study that may help us better understand the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2’s transmission and thereby fine-tune present policies that aim to prevent its spread.

16 Nov 2020

Primate model helps detect features of COVID-19 virus

Features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19, which could be useful for developing vaccines and treatment strategies, were identified using a nonhuman primate model developed at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB).

16 Nov 2020

Mobile phone contamination could be part of SARS-CoV-2 transmission chain in hospitals, Brazil case study suggests

Researchers conducting a study at a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) intensive care unit (ICU) in São Paulo, Brazil, have warned that infection control guidelines need to include a universal policy regarding the disinfection of mobile phones in the hospital setting.

8 Nov 2020

Second wave of COVID-19 in UK has reached “critical” stage, says study

The current paper reports the preliminary findings of the sixth round of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study, which has traced the path of the outbreak in England since May this year (2020).

8 Nov 2020

Study examines link between SARS-CoV-2 genomic load and COVID-19 patient outcomes

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines whether the amount of RNA, or genomic load, of SARS-CoV-2 detected in swab tests of patients being admitted to the hospital with viral pneumonia is associated with more severe COVID-19.

30 Oct 2020

App-based surveillance system enables early detection of COVID-19 hotspots

Researchers in the UK, United States, and Sweden have used large-scale self-reported app data to estimate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence, prevalence, and effective reproductive number in England.

29 Oct 2020

Rapid CD169 assay for COVID-19 screening

Researchers in France have conducted a study demonstrating the sensitivity of a rapid flow cytometry assay that could be used to screen for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

27 Oct 2020

Salivary samples highly effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the United States has found that oral salivary samples are less sensitive than nasal-oropharyngeal swabs for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA

13 Oct 2020

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence in built environments

In a recent paper in an open-access journal, mSystems, published by The American Society for Microbiology, Ceth W. Parker et al. show challenges in recovering the virus, change in infectivity, and the case of viral persistence in built environments.

8 Oct 2020

Case report of arthritis in a COVID-19 patient

The current paper published in the The Lancet Rheumatology discusses arthritis in a 58-year-old white woman with COVID-19 of less than severe intensity.

7 Oct 2020

Anti-sense agents suppress SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that anti-sense agents called peptide-conjugated morpholino oligomers (PPMOs) have the ability to specifically and potently suppress the growth of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

4 Oct 2020

Discovery of high affinity binders for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

An exciting, 'tour-de-force' paper by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes de novo discovery of high-affinity peptide binders for SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, which opens the door for the development of rapid viral identification or conjugates for virus-directed delivery of therapeutics.

30 Sep 2020

Anti-N-protein IgG may predict severity of COVID-19

A recent study by researchers at the University of Miami, Miami VA Healthcare System and Express Gene and published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 reports on the prognostic significance of the anti-N Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

28 Sep 2020

3D-printed alternative performs as well as the standard nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing

As COVID-19 quickly spread worldwide this spring, shortages of supplies, including the nasopharyngeal (nasal) swabs used to collect viral samples, limited diagnostic testing.

25 Sep 2020