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SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant increased COVID-19 severity in Scotland's 3rd wave

A team of UK-based scientists has recently revealed that the alpha variant (B.1.1.7) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the third pandemic wave in Scotland and that the variant is associated with more severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta likely to acquire resistance to wild-type spike vaccines

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* explores the mechanism of the Delta variant's high infectivity and suggests a plausible pathway by which the Delta variant could escape from vaccine-induced immunity.

24 Aug 2021

Compounds from medicinal mushrooms may be our future weapon against SARS-CoV-2

Certain steroid-like compounds from Taiwan's endemic medicinal mushrooms (known as antcins) may inhibit a host cell receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and, thus, prevent viral infection and subsequent development of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), reports a new study published in the MDPI's journal Plants.

24 Aug 2021

Glycyrrhizic acid as a drug candidate for COVID-19

A new study presents the benefits of licorice, an age-old herbal remedy, to treat COVID-19 at all stages.

24 Aug 2021

COVID-19 with pre-eclampsia and acute fatty liver of pregnancy

A new study reports a case of pre-eclampsia complicated by the acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP).

24 Aug 2021

Broad-spectrum coronavirus neutralization amongst vaccinated SARS-CoV-1 survivors

The potency of neutralizing antibodies in individuals who have recovered from SARS-CoV and received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is evaluated.

23 Aug 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 affect male fertility?

A recently published review describes the state of current knowledge regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the male reproductive system.

23 Aug 2021

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

A new study details the genomic characteristics and descent of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest.

23 Aug 2021

Study uses computational modeling of coronavirus spike proteins to examine dynamics responsible for immunogenicity and immune escape

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server focused on the development of dynamic computational models for a large subset of S proteins of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.

23 Aug 2021

A systematic review of in vitro studies evaluating the efficacy of mouth rinses on SARS-CoV-2

A new study aims to evaluate the current body of published in vitro research related to the efficacy of mouthwashes in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

20 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations alter dynamics of neutralizing antibodies

A new study describes how monoclonal antibodies raised against SARS-CoV-2 are affected by mutations in the antibody binding site.

20 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant escapes immune response via spike mutations

A new study explores the mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 lambda variant has acquired immune evasion capabilities above that of the wildtype.

20 Aug 2021

Study points to a novel strategy for developing broad-spectrum vaccines against coronaviruses

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) found that 2003 SARS survivors who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine produced highly potent functional antibodies that are capable of neutralizing not only all known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns (VOCs) but also other animal coronaviruses that have the potential to cause human infection.

20 Aug 2021

Researchers discover glycan 'gates' that open to allow SARS-CoV-2 entry

Since the early days of the COVID pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter and infect healthy human cells.

19 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies found to neutralize bat coronavirus (RaTG13) in new study

A striking new study examines how far antibodies elicited by vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or by natural infection, can neutralize the closely related bat coronavirus (CoV) RaTG13.

19 Aug 2021

How does the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant’s spike drive membrane fusion and immunity evasion?

A fascinating and timely new study shows how the Delta variant of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) achieved higher transmissibility and resistance to neutralization.

19 Aug 2021

Durable highly protective T cell response to AAV-spike vaccine against COVID-19 pneumonia in mice

New research, available as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, has focused on the role played by T cell immunity, particularly CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, on preventing lethal infection with SARS-CoV-2 in mice infused with peptide-loaded antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs).

19 Aug 2021

Scientists identify a potent neutralizing nanobody against SARS-CoV-1

In a recently published article in the journal Virologica Sinica, scientists have described the development and validation of a potent nanobody that targets the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The nanobody efficiently and specifically blocks the interaction between RBD and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and neutralizes the virus.

19 Aug 2021

White-tailed deer are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been shown to infect a wide range of animals naturally and experimentally, and prior studies indicate deer are susceptible to infection. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns have been found to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2.

19 Aug 2021

Why have COVID-19 caseloads been comparatively low in Africa?

A new study has been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that highlights the potential lessons that the world can draw from Africa on assumptions concerning viral pandemics. This is particularly important, given Africa’s long experience with dangerous infectious diseases.

18 Aug 2021