Nasopharyngeal News and Research

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Changing upper respiratory microbiome in children related to SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility

Researchers tested the nasopharyngeal microbiome of children up to 21 years old and found the microbiome changes with age. Specific bacteria, whose abundance also changes with age, are associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection susceptibility and severity.

25 Mar 2021

Study finds rapid spread of B.1.1.220 variant with E484K mutation in New York

New research led by Patrick McGann from Walter Reed Army Institute of Research found the first cases of the B.1.1.220 variant with an E484K mutation on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein. Their results suggest the variant recently emerged as B.1.1.220 was not found in New York before December 2020. Still, it quickly made up 25% of coronavirus strains in late January and early February.

24 Mar 2021

Researchers propose a new group testing method for COVID-19

Researchers Mario Guarracino from the HSE Laboratory of Algorithms and Technologies for Networks Analysis in Nizhny Novgorod and Julius Žilinskas and Algirdas Lančinskas from Vilnius University, have proposed a new method of testing for COVID-19.

24 Mar 2021

Can SARS-CoV-2 still be transmissible once symptoms have subsided?

Researchers based at the University of Missouri, in partnership with U.S. government science facilities in Maryland, have reported that individuals severely infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be able to continue shedding infectious viral RNA for over three weeks after the symptomatic infection has passed.

22 Mar 2021

What are the chief predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children?

A new study seeks to explore the factors associated with the diagnosis in children. The ability to rapidly diagnose COVID-19 in this age group is essential not only for monitoring progressive disease in individual children, but to avert further transmission chains.

22 Mar 2021

DNA spike-ins increase reliability of amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes

In the interests of cost-effectiveness and rapidity, amplicon-based sequencing of the viral genome has been used to provide a sensitive means of genomic surveillance. A new preprint, which was released on the bioRxiv* server, shows how this can be tweaked to make it a reliable source of genomic data by reducing the known potential for contamination.

19 Mar 2021

FDA authorizes marketing of first SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test using De Novo premarket review pathway

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted marketing authorization of the BioFire Respiratory Panel 2.1 (RP2.1), a diagnostic test for the simultaneous qualitative detection and identification of multiple respiratory viral and bacterial nucleic acids in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) obtained from individuals suspected of COVID-19 and other respiratory tract infections.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers develop innovative profiling methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers from various institutions in the USA used RNA-sequencing data and other methods to profile unique genes and other characteristics associated with SARS-CoV-2 in New York City (NYC).

17 Mar 2021

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD detected in saliva of mRNA-vaccine recipients

A team of researchers from the US and the Netherlands recently reported that antibodies to the spike protein and the RBD are detected in saliva samples from healthcare workers vaccinated with mRNA vaccines.

12 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment, study finds

Researchers have found that SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment. Therefore, strategies such as focusing on limiting the production of IFN, rather than its function, could restrict the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 that increases its viral load with delayed or absent symptoms.

12 Mar 2021

Pooling COVID-19 tests to detect future outbreaks

How could pooling SARS-CoV-2 tests help to detect future viral outbreaks? News-Medical spoke to Dr. Jean-François Rupprecht to find out more.

12 Mar 2021

Promega launches XpressAmp™ Direct Amplification Reagents

Promega Corporation has released XpressAmp™ Direct Amplification Reagents that facilitate RNA extraction-free sample preparation that is automation-friendly.

From Promega Corporation 11 Mar 2021

Accuracy of rapid tests to fight coronavirus

Even with the advent of vaccines, strategies for rapid and affordable testing for COVID-19 are still paramount.

10 Mar 2021

New analysis shows SARS-CoV-2 mutations rarely persist in subsequent transmissions

An analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genome diversity in more than 1,000 people in the United Kingdom suggests that if viral mutations do arise, they can be transmitted in some cases but they rarely persist in subsequent transmissions.

9 Mar 2021

New academic spin-out based in Finland introduces a nasal spray vaccine against COVID

Rokote Laboratories Finland Ltd., a newly-founded academic spin-out based in Finland is working to develop and introduce to the markets a nasal spray vaccine against COVID.

8 Mar 2021

Novel bioinformatics tool could help improve COVID-19 diagnosis

An interesting new study by researchers at the University of Liverpool, University of Bristol and Public Health England in the UK describes a novel bioinformatics tool used to detect subgenomic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequences from the virus. This may help develop new diagnostic tools and model the transmission of the virus.

8 Mar 2021

How can physicians distinguish between COVID-19 persistence and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection?

One of the most challenging tasks of physicians has been differentiating between persistent COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. Recently, a team of researchers analyzed SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the publicly available reports on reinfection and persistence. They further characterized the markers of reinfecting sequences and studied the mutation rate in newly evolved persistent variants.

8 Mar 2021

Nasopharyngeal News and Research

Changing upper respiratory microbiome in children related to SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility

Study finds rapid spread of B.1.1.220 variant with E484K mutation in New York

Researchers propose a new group testing method for COVID-19

Can SARS-CoV-2 still be transmissible once symptoms have subsided?

What are the chief predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children?

DNA spike-ins increase reliability of amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes

FDA authorizes marketing of first SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test using De Novo premarket review pathway

Researchers develop innovative profiling methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD detected in saliva of mRNA-vaccine recipients

SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment, study finds

Pooling COVID-19 tests to detect future outbreaks

Promega launches XpressAmp™ Direct Amplification Reagents

Accuracy of rapid tests to fight coronavirus

New analysis shows SARS-CoV-2 mutations rarely persist in subsequent transmissions

New academic spin-out based in Finland introduces a nasal spray vaccine against COVID

Novel bioinformatics tool could help improve COVID-19 diagnosis

How can physicians distinguish between COVID-19 persistence and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection?

Saliva testing has high accuracy in detecting early cases of SARS-CoV-2

Children may transmit SARS-CoV-2 at same level as adults, suggests study

COVID-19 swab testing may not be good for people with a history of sinus or skull-base surgery

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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