Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

In a trailblazing engineering effort, Canadian and US researchers indicate that the emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 stems from the mutations of spike glycoprotein that confer either increased affinity for the host cell receptor or increased antibody evasion.

30 Aug 2021

CoronaVac elicits lower antibody response than natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, study suggests

A recent study from Thailand highlights a rather low degree of neutralization-afforded protection mounted by the inactivated whole-virus CoronaVac vaccine compared to natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19.

30 Aug 2021

The impact of mild SARS-CoV-2 infection on maternal-fetal immunity

Recently, a new study published on the pre-print server bioRxiv* examined the effect that maternal asymptomatic COVID-19 had on decidual and peripheral immune cells during the later stage of pregnancy.

30 Aug 2021

Large Israeli study offers detailed look at safety profile of mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

A deep look into a nationwide mass vaccination setting in Israel revealed that the BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) vaccine is not linked with an elevated risk of a majority of the adverse events under study, with the exception of myocarditis. However, even that potentially severe adverse event is much more pervasive following the infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), found a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

30 Aug 2021

Next-gen COVID vaccine to make persistent neutralizing antibodies

Presently, there is a need to develop improved versions of COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and can confer long-term protection. Considering the need of the hour, scientists from the University of Sydney in Australia have generated a new COVID-19 vaccine CoVac-II and evaluated its effect against COVID-19 strains. The findings from this study are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

30 Aug 2021

Can molecular mimicry impact fertility in female COVID-19 patients?

There exists a possibility that COVID-19 can also affect the reproductive function in the body, which can lead to infertility in infected patients. A study published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology explored the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on reproductive functions and fertility.

30 Aug 2021

Modeling of COVID-19 seroprevalence and resurgence in Canada

Despite increased vaccine distribution and a significant decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada, the future of the pandemic is still a major concern, based on the possibility of a resurgence in the short term as well as long term and an understanding of the future of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunity. It is not clear if the Canadian population will reach herd immunity or if there is a risk of future resurgence of the virus in the Fall or Winter.

30 Aug 2021

COVID-19 in Virginia: Beliefs drive behavior

A new paper examines this phenomenon as it relates to the state of Virginia to outline lessons to be learned from this debacle of pandemic management.

29 Aug 2021

Have SARS-CoV-2 symptoms changed in the UK population over time?

A new paper compares changes in the symptoms due to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.

29 Aug 2021

What might the third wave of COVID-19 in India look like?

A new study applies mathematical modeling to understand what the third wave of the pandemic might look like in India.

29 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 destabilizes host RNA to improve fitness

In a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists have mapped the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and host RNA. They have observed that the virus heavily methylates its genome using the methylation machinery of the host RNA, leading to an improvement in viral fitness.

27 Aug 2021

Recognizing viral genomes in quick, ‘CRISP’ ways

Researchers from China recently reviewed the latest advancements, applications, and prospects of virus detection using CRISPR-Cas systems.

27 Aug 2021

MS patients on anti-CD20 therapy have robust T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

Scientists have observed that MS patients exhibit a robust T cell response despite a reduced humoral response to COVID-19 vaccines. Read more here.

27 Aug 2021

The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health in the UK

A review of the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on adult mental health in the UK has revealed a decline in mental health. Read more here.

27 Aug 2021

Oral mucosa identified as potential target for SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study suggested that ACE2 receptors are expressed in oral tissues, making the oral cavity an important potential entry point of SARS-CoV-2.

26 Aug 2021

Potential variant of interest in South Africa assigned to the PANGO lineage C.1.2

Continual genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 strains in South Africa has revealed an increase in the number of sequences belonging to C.1 lineage during the third wave (May 2021) of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This observation was unexpected because C.1 was last reported in January 2021.

26 Aug 2021

The influence of COVID-19 on platelet activation and aggregation

In a paper recently uploaded to the bioRxiv* preprint server, humanized ACE2 mice are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and platelets are subsequently isolated from the blood for quantitative proteomic analysis.

26 Aug 2021

Scientists assess SARS-CoV-2 mutants in ferret hosts

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by the cause of SARS-CoV-2 mutations observed in mink and ferrets is investigated, and the danger posed by such mutations to humans assessed.

26 Aug 2021

Large UK study examines impact of Delta variant on viral burden and vaccine effectiveness

Now, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server focused on determining the effectiveness of the BNT162b2, ChAdOx1, and mRNA-1273 vaccines by conducting SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive tests.

26 Aug 2021

Could soluble CD24 offer some hope against severe COVID-19?

A recent randomized phase III trial conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, US, evaluated the impact of CD24Fc in severe COVID-19 patients and showed promising clinical efficacy. This study is available as a preprint on the medRxiv* server.

26 Aug 2021