Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Scientists develop human lung organoids to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the development of a human distal lung culture system that can be functionally tested. This will help not only to understand how this infection produces disease but also to test the proliferative capacity of the stem cells in this part of the body.

30 Jul 2020

Study reports highly potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports that a series of potent enzyme inhibitors have been designed to suppress severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication by interfering with one of the primary viral proteases.

30 Jul 2020

Study suggests stay-at-home-cooling strategies during COVID-19 pandemic in the US

A new study from Australian scientists at the forefront of climate and health modeling suggests electric fans and water dousing could be a viable stay-at-home cooling strategy as the United States (US) anticipates extreme heat.

30 Jul 2020

New model can help local entities to prevent COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations

With communities throughout the United States combating surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Northwestern University have created a framework that helps policymakers determine which data to track and when to take action to protect their communities.

30 Jul 2020

Antimalarial drug shows in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses

Now, a new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports on the antiviral activity of two drugs found in an antimalarial drug currently in phase II trials in South Korea, called Pyramax.

30 Jul 2020

Researchers analyze travel history of first COVID-19 cases reported in countries outside China

Web-based surveillance of the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during the first 11 weeks of the outbreak (Dec 31, 2019, to March 10, 2020), reveals that three-quarters (75/99) of affected countries outside mainland China reported their first COVID-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected country--with almost two-thirds of these first cases linked to travel to Italy (27%), China (22%), or Iran (11%), according to new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

30 Jul 2020

Study finds synthetic neutralizing/enhancing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the discovery of some antibody molecules that have powerful enhancing or neutralizing activity against the virus, in a library of synthetic antibodies. These hold the promise of being useful for the prevention or treatment of this illness.

30 Jul 2020

COVID-19 pandemic is "one big wave" says WHO

The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world has to date infected over 16.95 million individuals and taken more than 665,000 lives. Now the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that this pandemic could cause a Tsunami of cases, and there is no scope for complacency in regions where numbers have declined.

30 Jul 2020

Relatives of SARS-CoV-2 may pose a health threat for years to come

Coronaviruses are zoonotic viruses that jump from animals to humans and cause infection. There are many types of common human coronaviruses, which usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of coronavirus types 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1 at some point in their lives.

29 Jul 2020

The toll that COVID-19 takes on the heart

Now, two new studies describe the toll that COVID-19 takes in the heart, increasing the risk of long-term damage even after patients recover. These studies also show that heart damage can even occur in people who did not have severe illness that required hospitalization.

29 Jul 2020

Loss of smell in COVID-19 explained by scientists

Now, a team of researchers at Harvard Medical school says they have found the reason why some people who get COVID-19 experience loss of smell.

29 Jul 2020

Iota-carrageenan from red seaweed inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory conditions

In a recent bioRxiv paper, a research group from the Marinomed Biotech biopharmaceutical company in Austria showed that a sulfated polysaccharide iota-carrageenan has the propensity to inhibit cell entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by using an in vitro neutralization assay.

29 Jul 2020

People with SARS-CoV-2 most infectious in days 0-5, no evidence of transmission after day 9

A study conducted by researchers in the UK and Italy suggests that individuals with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are probably at their most infectious during the first week of illness.

29 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 exposure five times more likely among Black and Hispanic pregnant women

Black and Hispanic pregnant women in Philadelphia are five times as likely as white and Asian women to have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to a new study led by Scott Hensley, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Karen Marie Puopolo, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Pediatrics and neonatologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The study was published today in Science Immunology.

29 Jul 2020

Study explores if prior exposure to common cold viruses may affect SARS-CoV-2 severity

A study led by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) shows that some healthy individuals possess immune cells capable of recognizing the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

29 Jul 2020

Researchers identify potential anti-viral strategy for SARS-CoV-2 virus

In the case of an infection, the SARS-CoV-2 virus must overcome various defense mechanisms of the human body, including its non-specific or innate immune defense. During this process, infected body cells release messenger substances known as type 1 interferons. These attract natural killer cells, which kill the infected cells.

29 Jul 2020

COVID-19 may increase risk of blot cots in women who are pregnant or taking birth control pills

COVID-19 may increase the risk of blot cots in women who are pregnant or taking estrogen with birth control or hormone replacement therapy, according to a new manuscript published in the Endocrine Society's journal, Endocrinology.

29 Jul 2020

Expert gives tips to cope with COVID-19 news fatigue

Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing full blast for more than half the year by July, seems to have hit a bump. There are indications that people are getting tired of the daily diet of coronavirus stories.

29 Jul 2020

Pilot study shows cholesterol-lowering medication improves function of coronary arteries

In a pilot study of people living with HIV or high levels of cholesterol, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that a six-week course of a cholesterol-lowering medication improved the function of the coronary arteries that provide oxygen to the heart.

29 Jul 2020

Where mask-wearing isn’t gospel: Colorado churches grapple with reopening

The lights dimmed. Guitars thrummed. And a nine-piece band kicked off what amounted to a rock concert inside an amphitheater of a church. "Shout for joy to the Lord," one musician called out, quoting Scripture.

29 Jul 2020