Respiratory Virus News and Research

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COVID-19 prevention strategies may have led to a decrease in common respiratory infections

Wearing masks and physical distancing - two key infection prevention strategies implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19 - may have led to the dramatic decrease in rates of common respiratory viral infections, such as influenza.

23 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

Living with a COVID-19 case brings worse symptoms and stronger antibody response

This study suggests that high virus exposure levels contribute to greater disease severity and stronger antibody responses. The observations from this study are published on the medRxiv preprint server.

17 Mar 2021

Self-assembling nanoparticles an effective vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2

The currently developed vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 include the RBD in their immunogen. With a similar objective, a new study developed an RBD protein-based vaccine candidate against the SARS-CoV-2, using self-assembling Helicobacter pylori-bullfrog ferritin nanoparticles as an antigen delivery system. The study is published recently in the journal mBio (by the American Society of Microbiology).

8 Mar 2021

Rapid point-of-care test used to diagnose respiratory infections can reduce antibiotic prescribing

A rapid microbiological point-of-care test to diagnose respiratory infections has proved popular with GPs and could reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care, according to a National Institute for Health Research funded study by researchers at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol.

4 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant shows low virulence and high shedding in hamster model

A new study compares the pathogenicity and infectiousness of one such variant, the VOC 202012/01 (B.1.1.7 lineage) from the United Kingdom, with the globally dominant D614G mutation-carrying strains.

2 Mar 2021

Cannabinoid receptor agonist shows potential protective effect on SARS-CoV-2-infected human heart cells

As scientists continue to search for effective antidotes to direct and indirect damage caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server demonstrates the potential of cannabinoid receptor agonists to alleviate myocardial damage in this condition even in the absence of any inhibitory effect on viral infection as such.

23 Feb 2021

Endothelial SARS-CoV-2 infection induces proinflammatory responses without supporting viral amplification, finds study

A team of scientists from Australia and Brazil recently investigated the involvement of endothelial cells in the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

18 Feb 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 enters the central nervous system

The central nervous system (CNS) is highly protected in the human body. Yet, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invades the CNS, causing profound clinical complications. How is the CNS involved in a respiratory virus infection?

15 Feb 2021

Research could help improve hand hygiene in offices using new 'smart' hand sanitizers

'Smart' hand sanitizers that can provide data on workplace hand hygiene are being trialed across the country, as part of research by the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds into how best to engage people with the latest Covid-19 workplace hand hygiene guidance.

12 Feb 2021

Natural reinfection with respiratory syncytial virus varies based on antibody response

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that while most individuals responded to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) natural reinfection with a typical sustained antibody response associated with protection, a few individuals surprisingly responded atypically, not being able to sustain the antibody response, which declined to levels that made the individuals susceptible to RSV reinfection.

5 Feb 2021

Can metabolic biomarkers help clinicians stratify adverse outcome risk in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study describes the alterations in lipids and other parameters that define the state of dysfunctional metabolism in acute COVID-19 illness.

20 Jan 2021

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

News-Medical catches up with Professor Carl Philpott about the latest findings regarding COVID-19 and smell loss.

18 Jan 2021

Can cloth masks protect healthcare professionals from SARS-CoV-2?

Given the global scarcity of surgical masks, a recent review study examines this issue - dealing with the potential use of cloth masks in healthcare scenarios.

15 Jan 2021

Researchers identify shorter form of ACE2 that lacks SARS-CoV-2 binding site

A shadow over the promising inhaled interferon beta COVID-19 therapy has been cleared with the discovery that although it appears to increase levels of ACE2 protein - coronavirus' key entry point into nose and lung cells - it predominantly increases levels of a short version of that protein, which the virus cannot bind to.

12 Jan 2021

Inclusive and culturally competent care crucial to address health care inequities during a crisis

In a perspective published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, experts from the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Office of Equity and Inclusion and Center for Diversity and Inclusion call for a more inclusive and culturally competent approach to clinical care based on best practices developed during the COVID-19 surge in Massachusetts.

23 Dec 2020

Study: COVID-19 patients have greater risk of health problems, mortality than those with flu

Almost a year ago, COVID-19 began its global rampage, going on to infect about 69.5 million people and kill about 1.6 million as of early this month.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers address variability of disease severity in respiratory tract infections

Is it possible to predict the course of a viral respiratory tract infection - for instance one caused by a coronavirus - based on individual patient characteristics? This question will be addressed by Dr. Victor Corman and his junior research group at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

8 Dec 2020

Does smoking increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization?

A study conducted by UK researchers has found that patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were less likely to be current smokers than patients who had been admitted with other types of respiratory viral infections last year (2019).

1 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 immunity can sustain for at least eight months, study finds

A new study by researchers at Monash University, Australia, has revealed that people who have been infected with COVID-19 showed sustained protection against reinfection for at least eight months.

26 Nov 2020