Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Study details challenges and progress toward creating a COVID-19 drug

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen scientists perform incredible feats in a short amount of time, from developing tests to new types of vaccines.

26 May 2021

Astodrimer sodium exhibits potent virucidal and antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers from the US and Australia recently conducted some studies to assess the in vitro antiviral and virucidal (irreversible) activity of astodrimer sodium against SARS-CoV-2.

26 May 2021

Neurocognitive symptoms persist 6 months post-infection with long COVID

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 long-haulers are people who experience symptoms such as body ache, fatigue, shortness of breath, headache, difficulty concentrating, loss of taste or smell, or other health issues long after they test negative for the virus. It can be defined as having serious and prolonged symptoms three months after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

26 May 2021

Reducing COVID-19 burden with monoclonal antibodies and vaccination

Researchers in the United States, the UK and France have shown that using antiviral monoclonal antibodies in combination with vaccination can be expected to suppress the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) and reduce the burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) more than vaccination alone.

26 May 2021

Will SARS-CoV-2 eventually become just another seasonal coronavirus?

Could SARS-CoV-2 become just a seasonal nuisance in the next decade, causing just coughs and sniffles like a common cold, suggests new research? Scientists at the University of Utah, USA, tried to predict the possible future of the novel coronavirus using mathematical models that use learnings from the current pandemic on changes in human immunity over time.

26 May 2021

Can certain aircraft boarding procedures increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks?

In a study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, researchers simulated many aircraft boarding processes to assess their impact on social proximity during boarding. They also studied the dominant mechanisms by which these processes generate social proximity. The researchers systematically measured proximity by measuring the number of contacts originating from the following situations: 1. contacts between seated passenger pairs; 2. contacts between aisle passenger pairs; and 3. contacts between a seated passenger and an aisle passenger.

26 May 2021

CASdetec: new CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 detection platform detects nucleic acids with high sensitivity and specificity

To add to existing CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection protocols, a team of researchers recently established a new SARS-CoV-2 detection protocol based on their previously reported platform - CDetection (Cas12b-mediated DNA detection). They combined nucleic-acid amplification methods and sample treatment protocols with CDetection and established an integrated nucleic acid detection platform called CRISPR-assisted detection or CASdetec. CASdetec has a detection limit of 1×104 copies/mL for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, without any observed cross-reactivity.

26 May 2021

New COVID-19 test can deliver highly accurate results in less than 15 minutes

A new rapid coronavirus test developed by KAUST scientists can deliver highly accurate results in less than 15 minutes.

26 May 2021

Researchers develop a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants simultaneously

Researchers demonstrate a method of detecting the presence and mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus using the smaller and cheaper Oxford Nanopore sequencer, a method they believe could make pandemic surveillance faster and cheaper.

26 May 2021

Could GRP78 be a therapeutic target against COVID-19?

A new study by a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA, reports a potentially important therapeutic target in the form of a molecule called GRP78 that promotes the entry and protein production by many viruses. The team's paper has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

26 May 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge among children in United States, suggests study

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic approaches its eighteenth month, new variants of concern (VOCs) of the causative pathogen – severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – continue to emerge all over the world. A new study explores the emergence of such VOCs among young children, below 12 years of age, and the potential consequences of this phenomenon.

26 May 2021

‘Better than the hospital’: Pandemic boosts care for serious illnesses at home

Late last year, Janet Yetenekian was one of the thousands of people in Southern California whose case of covid-19 was serious enough to send her to the hospital.

26 May 2021

Tissue-resident memory T cells found in lungs of people who had COVID-19 10 months ago

In recent research by Judith Grau-Expósito et al., scientists identify circulating virus-specific T cell responses during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection with functional, migratory, and apoptotic patterns modulated by viral proteins and associated with clinical outcome.

26 May 2021

Italian HCW study reaffirms Pfizer-BioNTech effectiveness against COVID-19

Real-world data from Pasquale Stefanizzi of Aldo Moro University in Italy and colleagues confirm that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine effectively prevents COVID-19 infection.

26 May 2021

Zoonotic and vector-borne emerging tropical diseases pose a constant threat

A recent article published in the journal Frontiers in Tropical Diseases assessed the threat of emerging zoonotic and vector-borne tropical diseases.

26 May 2021

Non-droplet routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission

In a recent review article published in the Science of The Total Environment journal, a group of Polish researchers discussed the different transmission routes of the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In their work, the researchers focused on the extent of SARS-CoV-2 survival in the environment, particularly in sewages and contaminated surfaces.

26 May 2021

Immunologists decode T cell responses that occur during COVID-19 infection

An international team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana, has deciphered, at single cell resolution, the T cell responses occurring during COVID-19 infection.

26 May 2021

Previous H3N2 influenza A infection may explain some cases of severe COVID-19

According to research from the University of California, some cases of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be related to the immunological memory of previous H3N2 influenza A infection.

26 May 2021

Study shows how rare but serious post-COVID-19 complication develops in children, adolescents

A multidisciplinary team from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC), Brigham and Women's Hospital and other institutions have identified the mechanism of how an extremely rare but serious post-COVID-19 complication develops in children and adolescents.

26 May 2021

Survey shows health care workers face unsafe working conditions, experience fear

A new report summarizes the findings from a national survey of frontline health care workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that many reported unsafe working conditions and retaliation for voicing their concerns to employers.

26 May 2021