Bats have played a crucial epidemiological role in the evolution of many viruses and house many coronaviruses. Until 2002, coronaviruses had been known to cause mild respiratory ailments in human beings. However, this notion changed in the same year when…
Read More
Continued vigilance needed as COVID lockdown is relaxed in England, warn researchers
Researchers have reported findings from round nine of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission Study (REACT-1) that estimates community prevalence of infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in England. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for…
Read More
New mRNA treatment appears to stop replication of flu and Covid-19 viruses
With a relatively minor genetic change, a new treatment developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University appears to stop replication of both flu viruses and the virus that causes Covid-19. Best of all, the treatment…
Read More
Novel host-viral-microbiome interactions during COVID-19 may determine outcome
The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been spreading rapidly for over a year. Though primarily a respiratory illness, its manifestations are often protean and may be life-threatening….
Read More
Concerning mutation in New York SARS-CoV-2 should be monitored, warn researchers
Researchers at the New York State Department of Health in the United States have said concerning mutations within the B.1.526 lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has recently become prevalent in New York State warrant further…
Read More
Children with MIS-C have highly activated immune systems, study finds
Taking the first deep dive into how the immune system is behaving in patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have…
Read More
Researchers evaluate surrogate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance test
A team of international scientists has recently evaluated a surrogate virus neutralization test for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and observed that it is highly efficacious for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in serum samples. According to the scientists, the…
Read More
Early tracheostomy could reduce recovery time in critical COVID-19, say researchers
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is primarily a severe pulmonary disease that can be fatal in a significant minority of cases. It leads to respiratory insufficiency in a…
Read More
Glycan switch may explain why SARS-CoV-2 causes such variable symptoms
Researchers in Portugal have provided evidence that might explain why infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes mild or even asymptomatic illness in some individuals, but severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in others. Salome Pinho from the…
Read More
Could rotavirus vaccine platforms aid in the immunization campaign against SARS-CoV-2?
Rotavirus is a common diarrheal disease that affects young children. Live oral rotavirus vaccines have been used to reduce its incidence in many countries. However, with the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and amid focus on vaccines…
Read More