Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Global survey reveals hesitancy in potential acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine

A recent study, currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, shows that willingness to vaccinate against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is insufficient in 19 countries that were surveyed – highlighting the need for targeted interventions to increase and sustain public acceptance of an incoming COVID-19 vaccine.

26 Aug 2020

Study suggests memory B cells persist following COVID-19 recovery

Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel have gained valuable insights into the serological and B cell response to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

26 Aug 2020

Researchers shed light on Boston's SARS-CoV-2 superspreading event

Researchers in the United States have shown that failure to prevent the importation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into Massachusetts led to superspreading that drastically altered the course of the epidemic and amplified the outbreak in this major urban area.

26 Aug 2020

Estradiol appears to help in female SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that the risk of infection is high for pre-menopausal women but the risk of death is much higher for men in the same age group and throws light on the protective nature of estradiol therapy in post-menopausal women.

26 Aug 2020

Monoclonal antibodies may be a better choice than convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19

A team of researchers from the Netherlands demonstrated that prophylactic treatment with a high dose of human convalescent plasma or by using concentrated monoclonal antibodies could protect against disease following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in an animal model. However, no protective effect was observed with a ten-fold lower dose of convalescent plasma. The results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

25 Aug 2020

Humidity (not temperature) influences SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission

A recent study conducted in New South Wales, Australia, demonstrates that there is an inverse relationship between relative humidity and transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The study is published in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.

25 Aug 2020

Assessing the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks once schools reopen

A study conducted by researchers at the London School Of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Edinburgh, and Leiden University, suggests that only reopening schools to specific age groups would reduce the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) being transmitted between schools and subsequently households.

25 Aug 2020

High SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence, low mortality at Austrian COVID-19 epicenter

Now, a new study reported on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 describes a high seroprevalence in an Austrian ski resort, which is considered to be the source of the European outbreak.

25 Aug 2020

Inconsistent implementation of COVID-19 control has dire consequences

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study highlighting the potential unintended consequences of implementing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) control policies in an inconsistent, patchy manner.

25 Aug 2020

Study: SARS-CoV-2 can infect human neural progenitor cells and brain organoids

SARS-CoV-2 can infect human neural progenitor cells and brain organoids, as shown by researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators from The University of Hong Kong (HKU).

25 Aug 2020

Advances in Virus Epigenetics

Growing evidence shows viruses exploit epigenetic processes to control their life cycles but epigentic regulation of viral infections is not fully understood.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 25 Aug 2020

Italy starts human trials of potential COVID-19 vaccine

Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute, a hospital specializing in infectious diseases will conduct trials on 90 volunteers in the coming weeks, joining a global effort to develop an immune response to the virus.

25 Aug 2020

COVID specific IgA monoclonal antibodies may provide effective immunity against coronavirus

A new study by researchers at MassBiologics of UMass Medical School published in Nature Communications suggests that COVID specific IgA monoclonal antibodies may provide effective immunity in the respiratory system against the novel coronavirus - a potentially critical feature of an effective vaccine.

25 Aug 2020

World's first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 re-infection

A team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong said that they have proven that a 33-year-old man was infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus for a second time. The man was discharged from a hospital in April but contracted the infection again after returning from Spain via the United Kingdom in August.

24 Aug 2020

Relative humidity could play a role in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 indoors

A new study has explored the role of relative humidity in the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from person to person indoors. The study titled, “An Overview on the Role of Relative Humidity in Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Environments,” is published in the latest issue of the journal Aerosol and Air Quality Research.

24 Aug 2020

Single dose nasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 shows promise in animal studies

Now researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have worked on developing a candidate vaccine against the infection that could be administered in a single dose via a nasal spray rather than an injection. In their preliminary studies using lab mice, this single dose of the nasal vaccine successfully prevented the infection with the novel coronavirus.

24 Aug 2020

Sociopaths less likely to comply with COVID mask, hygiene and social distancing

Now, a new study by researchers from Brazil has found that people who are unconcerned with adhering to measures to mitigate the COVID-19 spread tend to manifest higher levels of traits tied to antisocial personality disorder, which is also known as sociopathy.

24 Aug 2020

Genomic analysis reveals many animal species vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2

Now, a new genomics study by University of California, Davis, California researchers identifies a large number of mammals that can potentially be infected by SARS-CoV-2 via their ACE2 proteins.

24 Aug 2020

Study reveals protective potential of all three major immunoglobulin isotypes against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent medRxiv preprint paper, researchers from Mount Sinai in New York showed that all three major immunoglobulin isotypes (IgM, IgG, and IgA) produced by our immune cells were capable of mediating neutralization of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, neutralization titers correlated much better with binding levels of IgM and IgA1 than IgG.

24 Aug 2020

Ferrets not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study by scientists at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University has revealed that ferrets are not susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection even if they are directly exposed to symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients for a prolonged time.

24 Aug 2020