Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Faulty genes and an autoimmune condition linked to severe COVID-19 in young, healthy people

More than 10 percent of young and healthy people who develop severe COVID-19 have misguided antibodies that attack not the virus, but the immune system itself, new research shows. Another 3.5 percent, at least, carry a specific kind of genetic mutation.

25 Sep 2020

New studies report specific mechanisms of impaired type I interferon signaling in COVID-19 patients

Two new studies report specific mechanisms of impaired type I interferon (IFN) signaling in some hospitalized patients suffering from severe cases of COVID-19, suggesting that screens for these defects could help identify patients at the highest risk of life-threatening complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

25 Sep 2020

Individuals with severe forms of COVID-19 disease can have compromised type I interferon responses

Individuals with severe forms of COVID-19 disease can present with compromised type I interferon (IFN) responses based on their genetics, according to results published in two papers today in the journal Science.

25 Sep 2020

New experiments reveal how viruses initiate translation of genetic material into proteins

Infectious viruses come in many shapes and sizes and use slightly different attack mechanisms to make humans and animals sick.

25 Sep 2020

New study may explain why more men than women die from COVID-19

New findings by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and their collaborators help explain why some people with COVID-19 develop severe disease.

25 Sep 2020

Racism is a “secondary contagion" that threatens Asian Americans

Many people are feeling anxious during these uncertain times as they navigate the risks associated with COVID-19 and experience the tension from physical distancing or isolation for what can seem like an eternity.

25 Sep 2020

Berlin researchers are pursuing the development of passive vaccination

Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have identified highly effective antibodies against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and are now pursuing the development of a passive vaccination.

25 Sep 2020

Talc and non-absorptive creams provide long-lasting skin protection for PPE wearers

For frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) like face visors, googles, and respiratory protective equipment is an essential part of working life.

25 Sep 2020

Human-to-cat transmission of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed

Cat-to-cat transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been experimentally proven, but little is known about the significance of this novel virus as a feline pathogen or its reverse zoonotic potential. The establishment of new animal reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 could pose serious problems for human health in the future.

24 Sep 2020

New antibodies protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus

Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

24 Sep 2020

New $1.5 million, multi-state data project to examine COVID-19 outcomes and treatments

The power of data, often an underappreciated catalyst to fixing the world's pressing problems, was recognized by Dr. Sally Hodder as a critical key in battling COVID-19 before West Virginia even reported its first case.

24 Sep 2020

Climate anomaly exacerbated WWI mortality and the Spanish flu pandemic

Scientists have spotted a once-in-a-century climate anomaly during World War I that likely increased mortality during the war and the influenza pandemic in the years that followed.

24 Sep 2020

India and Denmark to benefit from NTNU COVID-19 tests

A highly sensitive COVID-19 test, developed by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), relies on magnetic nanoparticles to extract viral RNA.

24 Sep 2020

A possible inverse relationship between Dengue and COVID-19 in Brazil

Their study titled, “How super-spreader cities, highways, hospital bed availability, and dengue fever influenced the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil,” was released pre-peer review on the preprint medRxiv* early this week.

24 Sep 2020

Experimental cancer drug AR-12 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 virus

Nine months into the global pandemic, which has infected more than 32 million people, there is still no approved effective and safe drug or vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

24 Sep 2020

Linoleic acid binds SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Now, a team of researchers at the Max Planck-Bristol Center for Minimal Biology and Bristol's School of Biochemistry has identified a druggable pocket in the virus's spike protein that can be used to prevent the infection of cells. The study findings, published in the journal Science, are a groundbreaking discovery that will help develop new therapies and drugs to stem the growing pandemic.

24 Sep 2020

School re-openings in US may increase COVID-19 spread unless targeted interventions are in place

In a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv, a team of researchers on behalf of the Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team used longitudinal and age-specific population mobility and COVID-19 mortality data to model and predict SARS-CoV-2 spread in the US.

24 Sep 2020