Disease/Infection News

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New Phase 1 study evaluates prime/boost HIV-1 vaccine formulated with combinations of adjuvants

A new Phase 1 vaccine study began today that will evaluate experimental prime/boost HIV-1 vaccine regimens formulated with combinations of different adjuvants, including one from the Army Liposome Formulation (ALF) family of adjuvants developed by scientists with the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

15 Mar 2021

Study unveils SARS-CoV-2 persistence and contamination concentration on common surfaces

A recent environmental study from the United Kingdom, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, shows that certain common surfaces could represent an infectious risk if contaminated with high concentrations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – albeit the level of viable viral particles is likely to be low.

15 Mar 2021

Blight leads to increase in disease-carrying mosquitoes

Louisiana State University researchers recently published findings that blight leads to an increased abundance of disease-carrying mosquitoes.

15 Mar 2021

Skin rashes more common in adults tested positive for COVID-19

Previous studies conducted in hospitals reported that COVID-19 patients presented with unusual skin rashes.

15 Mar 2021

Researchers use wastewater to monitor prevalence of COVID-19 for first time in United Arab Emirates

Early warning systems are vital in preventing surging waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Researchers have used wastewater samples to detect the spread of the virus in the United Arab Emirates from municipal and commercial aircraft, the first of its kind in the country, and the largest to date.

15 Mar 2021

White-tailed deer susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, finds study

White-tailed deer have been observed to be susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They can also transmit the virus both through direct and indirect contact to one another, researchers find. The research paper is available to be read online in the Journal of Virology.

15 Mar 2021

The role of nanotechnology in the fight against COVID-19

Appearing in the journal Nanomedicine, the review summarized all the exciting advances made using diverse nanomaterials (polymeric, inorganic self-assembling materials and peptide-based) towards COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

15 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant could be more lethal than others

A new study has assessed the mortality risk of patients infected with the newly emerged UK variant (Lineage B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2. The findings reveal that compared to the previously circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, the UK variant significantly increases the risk of mortality in a relatively low-risk community population.

15 Mar 2021

What is a protective neutralizing antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

A new study describes a predictive model of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection that could help evolve optimal vaccination strategies to maintain protection and reduce the death rate.

15 Mar 2021

Why does convalescent plasma therapy for severe COVID-19 show mixed success?

A surprising new preprint, released on the medRxiv* server, suggests that the beneficial effects of convalescent plasma (CP) in this disease stem not only from the presence of neutralizing antibodies, but also the immunomodulatory effects of this plasma that shapes the host immune response.

15 Mar 2021

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Neutralizing nanobodies effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Nanobodies have different mechanisms to neutralize viruses, and some target epitopes not accessible to monoclonal antibodies, making them an alternative for developing therapies for COVID-19.

15 Mar 2021

Covid cases plummet 83% among nursing home staffers despite vaccine hesitancy

Joan Phillips, a certified nursing assistant in a Florida nursing home, loved her job but dreaded the danger of going to work in the pandemic. When vaccines became available in December, she jumped at the chance to get one.

15 Mar 2021

Study suggests COVID-19 vaccine acceptance on the rise in UK

A team of researchers in the UK recently conducted a two-wave survey on the hesitancy of individuals to receive COVID-19 vaccination.

15 Mar 2021

WHA’s president outlines plans to improve treatments for patients with hepatitis

Danjuma Adda, a Nigerian public health expert, became the president-elect of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) in November last year. He is the first African to hold the position.

15 Mar 2021

Research looks at inflammatory nature of lipid nanoparticle component in mRNA vaccines

In a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, Botond Z. Igyártó and colleagues from Thomas Jefferson University demonstrated the inflammatory nature of the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).

15 Mar 2021

COVID-19 survivors experience symptoms up to 10 months after infection, study finds

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) symptoms are increasingly recognized to persist among a subset of individuals following acute infection, but features associated with this persistence are not well-understood.

15 Mar 2021

Soluble ACE2 level correlates with COVID-19 outcomes

Researchers at the Aarhus University, Denmark, found that high baseline levels of ACE2 in plasma from COVID-19 patients are tied to a worse outcome in hospitalized patients. The study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv, shows that measuring ACE2 levels in serum can help determine patients at a higher risk of developing severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

14 Mar 2021

Study targets main protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication

The main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enzyme implicated in the transcription and replication of the coronavirus. New research led by S. Samar Hasnain from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom used the selenium-containing drug Ebselen to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro).

14 Mar 2021

Study says air pollution played a role in early U.S. COVID-19 outbreak

Exposure to particulate matter — a mixture of liquid and solid particles suspended in the air that ranges from dust to airborne transmission of viral droplets — has been harmful to human health. Research led by Maria de Fatima Andrade from the University of São Paulo in Brazil found particulate matter plays a significant role in increasing coronavirus cases in cities.

14 Mar 2021