Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Ozone water found to rapidly inactivate SARS-Cov-2

As the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic appears here to stay, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in November 2020 reports an effective and rapid inactivation tactic for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); namely, through the use of ozone water.

4 Nov 2020

People treated with statins have 22% to 25% lower risk of dying from COVID-19

Coronavirus has infected more than 40 million people around the world and has caused more than a million deaths in less than a year.

4 Nov 2020

RNA-binding proteins may suppress antiviral defenses against SARS-CoV-2

Conducted by researchers in South Korea at the Institute for Basic Science and the International Vaccine Institute, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 describes the many host proteins that bind with the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and regulate the replication of the virus.

4 Nov 2020

Study shows brilacidin strongly inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory cell lines

A recent study by US researchers reveals that brilacidin, a small synthetic molecule with peptide-like properties, exerts potent in vitro antiviral activity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – both as a standalone treatment and in combination with FDA-approved remdesivir. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

4 Nov 2020

Black, Latinx hospital workers at highest risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, study finds

Support staff and Black and Latinx hospital employees with and without patient care responsibilities are at highest risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care settings, a Rutgers study found.

4 Nov 2020

Correlations found between 'long-COVID' patients and preexisting health conditions

Researchers from the nference (a biotech information firm) in Cambridge, MA, USA, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA, and nference Labs based in Bengaluru, India, recently performed a retrospective analysis of 266 COVID-19 patients.

4 Nov 2020

Living with children does not increase adults’ risk of severe COVID-19, say researchers

Researchers working on behalf of NHS England have found no evidence that adults who live with school-age children are at any increased risk of severe outcomes following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 Nov 2020

Chikungunya can infect central nervous system and impair cognitive, motor functions

A study conducted by an international team of researchers with FAPESP's support shows that infection by chikungunya virus can produce even more severe manifestations than the typical symptoms of the disease, such as acute fever, headache, rash, and intense joint and muscle pain.

4 Nov 2020

HPV vaccines found to be safe and well-tolerated in males

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and cases various cancers in women and men.

4 Nov 2020

Rise in negative health behaviors during lockdown connected to poor mental health in Scotland

A rise in negative health behaviours - such as lack of sleep, exercise and an unhealthy diet - is connected to poorer mental health during the tightest restrictions of Scotland's COVID-19 lockdown, a new study has confirmed.

4 Nov 2020

Synthetic antibody may prevent coronavirus from infecting human cells

By screening hundreds of synthetic antibodies, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and EMBL Hamburg in Germany have identified an antibody that may prevent the new coronavirus from infecting human cells.

4 Nov 2020

Delirium accompanied by fever could be an early symptom of COVID-19

Delirium accompanied by fever could bean early symptom of COVID-19. This is the main conclusion drawn by a scientific research review carried out by researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

4 Nov 2020

Lions and tigers and anteaters? US scientists scan the menagerie for COVID

As COVID-19 cases surge in the U.S., one Texas veterinarian has been quietly tracking the spread of the disease — not in people, but in their pets.

4 Nov 2020

‘Is this worth my life?’: Traveling health workers decry COVID care conditions

David Joel Perea called from Maine, Vermont, Minnesota and, ultimately, Nevada, always with the same request: "Mom, can you send tamales?" Dominga Perea would ship them overnight.

4 Nov 2020

First EUA point-of-care (POC/Waived/Fingerstick) COVID-19 antibody test now available from Carolina Liquid Chemistries.

The Fastep® COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device by Assure Tech., distributed in the USA by Carolina Liquid Chemistries, has received FDA Emergency Use Authorization for use.

From Carolina Liquid Chemistries Corp. 4 Nov 2020

Europe is the main source of COVID-19 spread, shows study

The University of Huddersfield's Archaeogenetics Research Group has mapped out the dispersal of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, responsible for the current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, putting Europe centre-stage as the main source of the spread.

4 Nov 2020

Study sheds light on possible lung damage caused by COVID-19 virus

The study, published today in The Lancet's eBioMedicine, by King's College London in collaboration with University of Trieste and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biology in Italy, shows the unique characteristics to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and may explain why patients suffer from 'long COVID'.

4 Nov 2020

Discoverey of four SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors, boceprevir, calpain inhibitors II and XII and GC-376

A team of scientists from the United States has recently revealed that small molecule inhibitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease exhibit potent antiviral activity. These inhibitors show better efficacy when used in combination with antiviral medicine Remdesivir. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

3 Nov 2020

Most SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals develop durable B cell-mediated immunity

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, investigated the durability of B cell immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery in their recent work published on the preprint server medRxiv.

3 Nov 2020

Evidence of robust and persistent antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

A team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, have worked in collaboration to try and answer one of the most baffling questions surrounding the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic: do antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) last after a primary infection?

3 Nov 2020