Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

England returns to Plan A following the success of booster rollout and falling Omicron infections

From 00:01 on Thursday 27th January England returned to Plan A measures following the huge success of the vaccination program and falling Omicron infections.

26 Jan 2022

Microbiome 'profiling' may help identify people at risk of long COVID

The make-up of the gut microbiome may be linked to a person's risk of developing 'long COVID' many months after initial infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection, suggests research published online in the journal Gut.

26 Jan 2022

More than 5,000 people enrolled in PANORAMIC study for COVID-19 antivirals

Over 5,000 vulnerable people have now enrolled into a world-class study for the chance to receive life-saving antivirals, the government has announced today (Wednesday 26 January 2022).

26 Jan 2022

Study suggests synthetic SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein coated lipid vesicles are an effective vaccine candidate

In a new study, a team of researchers developed a vaccine candidate with the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein coated onto lipid vesicles which resembles virus-like particles.

26 Jan 2022

Study demonstrates differential alternative splicing in betacoronaviruses

A new study investigates whether the proportion of ribosomal genes displaying differential gene expression and differential alternative splicing differed between three betacoronaviruses and six other viruses and bacteria.

26 Jan 2022

Study finds overexpression of 3 SARS-CoV-2 genes could globally compromise transcriptome of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

In a recent study, whole mRNA-seq was used to investigate the global effects of SARS-CoV-2 viral genes Nsp6, Nsp8, and M on the transcriptome of hPSC-CMs.

26 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant found to display increased resilience to antiviral type I interferon response

In a new study, scientists have compared the Omicron variant with the Delta VOC (B.1.617.2) as well as the wildtype strain (B.1), with respect to their interaction with the antiviral type 1 interferon response in infected cells.

26 Jan 2022

Effects of the Omicron spike amino acid changes in the interaction with human ACE2 receptor or human antibodies

A recent study analyzed the effects of the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike amino acid and the human ACE2 receptor or with human antibodies.

26 Jan 2022

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies found in wild mustelids in France

A new study focused on the identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection in wild mustelids in the French region of Brittany.

26 Jan 2022

How long does COVID-19 remain traceable on food?

In a new study, researchers identified the effective lengths at which SARS-CoV-2 can survive on certain foods, which can likely act as a model to predict how well it could survive on many others.

26 Jan 2022

COVID-19 vaccine does not lead to infertility in either men or women

In a recent prospective cohort study accepted to the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers observed links between female and male coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and fecundability or the per-cycle likelihood of conception in North American couples seeking to conceive.

26 Jan 2022

Research says spill-over of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to cattle is possible

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers assessed the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission from humans to cattle.

26 Jan 2022

Understanding immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infections in children

A study published in the journal Immunity analyzed the varied manifestations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children.

26 Jan 2022

Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human cells and mice

In research recently published in the journal of Science Advances, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Chicago assessed the potential role of cannabidiol (CBD), a natural product extracted from the cannabis plant, to prevent and inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in human cells and mice.

26 Jan 2022

Male clients of sex workers more likely to be living with HIV compared to other men

Twenty years' worth of surveys suggest that nearly one in ten sexually active men in 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have been clients of sex workers, and these men are about 50 percent more likely to be living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

25 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 infection found in wild white-tailed deer in Canada

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, scientists investigated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in white-tailed deer (WTD) in southern Québec, Canada, as part of a more extensive pan-Canadian analysis into SARS-CoV-2 spillover into wildlife. To further define SARS-CoV-2 infection in this species, researchers used viral genomes and isolation.

25 Jan 2022