Severe Acute Respiratory News and Research

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Only 56 percent of people intend to have free flu vaccination in the U.K. amid COVID

Now, a team of researchers at Keele University and Public Health England aimed to determine how many residents in the U.K. intend to get flu shots amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers found that 55.8 percent of people intended to have the vaccination.

2 Nov 2020

Children with asthma having fewer attacks amid the coronavirus pandemic, study says

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, an international team of researchers has found that children with asthma experienced fewer upper respiratory tract infections, emergency visits, fever episodes, asthma attacks, and hospital admissions compared with the previous year.

2 Nov 2020

Global collaboration provides a COVID-19 disease map

A collaboration of researchers from 120 different institutes across 30 countries including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, USA, India, Turkey, Brazil, and Canada initiated an effort to develop a COVID-19 Disease Map - a collection of computational models and diagrams of molecular mechanisms implicated in COVID-19.

2 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike D614G variant exhibits enhanced replication and transmissibility

A team of scientists from Switzerland, Germany, and the USA has demonstrated that the S-614G variant can easily bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the cellular gateway of SARS-CoV-2. The variant also showed enhanced replication and transmissibility in animal models.

2 Nov 2020

Research finds detectable but low-level SARS-CoV-2 contamination on public surfaces

A team of researchers at Tufts University found that 8.3 percent of surface samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including crosswalk buttons, trash can handles, and door handles of essential business entrances such as grocery stores, banks, gas stations, and liquor stores.

2 Nov 2020

Is it safe to resume cruise operations? CDC issues safety guidelines

Nearly a year into the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries are easing restrictions to rebuild their economies. At the same time, many industries are trying to return to a new normal, one of which being the cruise sector. Prior to the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19, the cruise industry represented 2% of the worldwide travel and tourism industry.

2 Nov 2020

Genomic sequence of the White House "superspreader" event

Now, a new study revealed the genetic signature of the SARS-CoV-2 that spread in the White House and most likely infected President Trump. The team applied genomic epidemiology to shed light on the origins of the outbreak

2 Nov 2020

Exposure to environmental immunotoxicants may worsen outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers recently carried out a study in Denmark in which they determined the plasma PFAS concentrations in individuals with a confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

2 Nov 2020

Research shows how remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication

In a recent bioRxiv preprint, a research team from Germany, Goran Kokic et al. study the molecular mechanism of remdesivir-induced stalling of RdRp - using synthetic RNA chemistry, biochemistry, and cryo-electron microscopy.

2 Nov 2020

Ethacridine blocks SARS-CoV-2 with a distinct mode of action

Now, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and Stanford University, California, USA, reported a safe and potent antiseptic for use in humans named ethacridine, which effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 even at very low concentrations of EC50 ~ 0.08 µM. Their work has is published on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

1 Nov 2020

5-amino levulinic acid inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Researchers tested 5-amino levulinic acid in vitro in human-derived cells and found it prevents severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Because it is safe and ubiquitous in plants and animals, it could be a potential drug against SARS-CoV-2.

1 Nov 2020

Seroprevalence and immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in Paris

François Anna et al. published this study in a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, where they present the results of assessing the serological response in the selected population. They tested for specific IgG response against the SARS CoV-2 Nucleoprotein and Spike protein and performed a pseudo-neutralization assay in sera of urban dwellers in Paris.

30 Oct 2020

Booster dose enhances immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in aged mice

Now, a new study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv* shows that a single dose of the vaccine has induced cellular and humoral immunity in aged or older mice. A second dosage was needed to enhance the vaccine's immune response, showing that a prime-boost strategy may be an essential step to boost immunogenicity in the elderly.

30 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 viroporin triggers NLRP3 inflammasome causing a severe inflammatory response

Now, a team of researchers at the University of Florida report that the SARS-CoV-2 viroporin triggers the NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is responsible for the inflammatory pathology in severely ill COVID-19 patients.

30 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 load varies widely in the community and over time

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 reports that there are large differences in the viral load in different communities. Moreover, the authors say that the cycle threshold values required to obtain a positive result for viral RNA by polymerase chain reaction may provide an early warning of an outbreak.

29 Oct 2020

Model includes spatial heterogeneity to analyze airborne disease spread

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have included parameters that consider a spatially heterogeneous population for transmission in a new model for airborne disease transmission. This allows for estimating superspreaders and appropriate mitigation strategies.

29 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

Mental health challenges associated with COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020

This brief is a summary of the policy brief prepared in the context of the Swiss national COVID-19 science task force (https://ncs-tf.ch/en/).

29 Oct 2020

Antiviral inhibitor DDX42 shows broad activity against Chikungunya, HIV and SARS-CoV-2

By exploiting type 1 interferon's ability to foster an antagonistic cellular environment for viral replication, a research group from France pinpointed DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX42 as an intrinsic inhibitor of HIV, but also other pathogenic viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Chikungunya virus.

29 Oct 2020

Mouth may be primary route of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 shows that the virus also multiplies robustly in the oral cavity, indicating that saliva plays a role in viral transmission.

29 Oct 2020