Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Swiss data shows COVID-19 three times more deadly than the flu

Despite this, COVID-19 is often downplayed to be only a seasonal flu by many. This may be because both influenza and COVID-19 have a similar initial presentation, and it is tough to distinguish between the two based on just the clinical presentation.

19 Nov 2020

Cannabis use disorder may increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study suggesting that genetic vulnerability to a psychiatric syndrome called cannabis use disorder (CUD) may increase the risk of developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that requires hospitalization.

19 Nov 2020

New findings support current and planned clinical trials of Janssen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Researchers from the United States and The Netherlands have conducted a pre-clinical study supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 trial to test a two-dose regimen of the Janssen Ad26.COV2.S vaccine candidate among adult and elderly individuals.

19 Nov 2020

Study warns elderly individuals less able to reduce contacts during COVID-19 lockdown

In a rigorous medRxiv* preprint paper, a group of researchers demonstrate shifts in age structure and clinical characteristics of individuals affected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after social and economic reopening in three US states and show how elderly individuals were less able to reduce contacts when compared to the younger ones.

19 Nov 2020

Seroprevalence meta-analysis predicts 643 million already infected by SARS-CoV-2 globally

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by a team of international scientists reveal low seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the general population.

19 Nov 2020

Detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 120 days post-infection in Chicago case study

In a recent study, a team of researchers at Northwestern University, USA, had found that nearly 20 percent seroprevalence in the United States metropolitan site, Chicago, over the summer, during a period when lockdown restrictions were eased. They found that three-quarters of seropositive individuals retained detectable antibodies for at least 120 days or four months.

19 Nov 2020

Carrageenan-based composite nasal spray may help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom formulated a spray that contains polysaccharides known for their mucoadhesive antiviral properties for prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Nov 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those with OCDs

Researchers from the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf and University Hospital, Munich in Germany, have reported their findings on the course of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

19 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 immunity can last over six months, study finds

US-based scientists have released a study on preprint server bioRxiv*, titled “Immunological memory to SARS-CoV-2 assessed for greater than six months after infection,” contributing to the enormous research effort currently underway in this area.

19 Nov 2020

Genetic variations of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in cats

Using cats as an animal model to study severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, researchers have determined the virus has a narrow transmission bottleneck.

19 Nov 2020

Delirium in older patients with COVID-19

Delirium is common in older patients admitted to US emergency departments with COVID-19 infection, according to the findings of a new study.

19 Nov 2020

Most COVID-19 convalescent individuals have long-lasting memory T cell responses

Recently, researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, and the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, conducted a comprehensive analysis of memory T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

18 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 deactivation on surfaces in 30 seconds with a copper paste

In a recent bioRxiv preprint paper, a team of researchers shows the possibility of using copper, in a new conformation, for effectively killing microbes immediately.

18 Nov 2020

New understanding of glycan signatures of the SARS-COV-2 S1 spike protein

A team of scientists from the University of Oxford, UK, has revealed that site-specific glycosylation differs between spike proteins derived from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a viral vector-based vaccine candidate.

18 Nov 2020

Optimizing SARS-COV-2 inactivation for COVID-19 research at lower biosafety levels

Researchers at Montana State University have validated and compared two methods for inactivating the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that would enable the virus to be studied at a lower biosafety level (BSL) than the one currently required.

18 Nov 2020

"Escape mutations" could help SARS-CoV-2 evade immune attack

Researchers in the United States have identified mutations within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – that can reduce antibody binding to the virus, potentially mediating its escape from immune attack.

18 Nov 2020

Examining potential foodborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through fresh produce

To address this gap in knowledge, researchers from the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, and Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa examined the survival of human coronaviruses on the surface of fresh produce such as apples, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

18 Nov 2020

Around 10 SARS-CoV-2 virions per cell in human body, study finds

A new study has found that there are about ten virus particles in each cell in the body. The research team from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of California in the USA estimate that each infected person carries around 109-1011 virions during peak infection.

18 Nov 2020

Ancient East Asian peoples may have adapted to coronavirus-like epidemic up to 25,000 years ago

A new study by researchers at the University of Adelaide and Australian National University in Australia and the University of Arizona in the US shows that an ancient coronavirus-like epidemic drove the adaptation of East Asian peoples from 25,000 to 5,000 years ago.

18 Nov 2020

How weather affects SARS-CoV-2 transmission: A US-based case study

How changes in the weather affect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been the topic of several studies. The preoccupation of researchers with this aspect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic follows from observations that the flu virus and other coronaviruses follow seasonal patterns. Understanding how SARS-CoV-2’s transmissibility is affected by seasonal changes can thus help us to develop more informed preventative measures against its spread.

18 Nov 2020