Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses ACE2 activity in COVID-19 patients

A recent study conducted by a team of international scientists has revealed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suppresses the expression and function of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and induces the expression of interferon-stimulated genes at the initial phase of infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

20 Nov 2020

Food products are potential SARS-CoV-2 carriers, study finds

A team of scientists at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and the Food Safety Research Center in Iran has emphasized the risk of various staple food products, including meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and ready-to-eat foods, as potential carriers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

20 Nov 2020

Furin inhibition may mitigate severe COVID-19, study finds

Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, a researcher at the Institute for Functional Medicine in the United States, has explained the role of furin protease in developing severe COVID-19 illness.

20 Nov 2020

Scientists explain potential reasons for SARS-CoV-2 re-infection

A study, which was published in the journal New Microbes and New Infections, focused on the possible reasons for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.

20 Nov 2020

How effective have COVID-19 mitigation strategies been in Australia's second wave?

Researchers have modeled the effect of the different types of social distancing implemented in Australia's greater Melbourne area in response to the county's second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. They found implementing stricter lockdowns in the beginning before the rapid rise in cases works best. The team's findings have been made available on the preprint server, medRxiv*.

20 Nov 2020

Universal screening for SARS-CoV-2 may be an ineffective mitigation strategy, says study

A team of researchers in the Netherlands have reported that regular, universal and random screening and isolation of infectious individuals may not be a viable strategy for reopening society after bringing a wave of SARS-CoV-2 under control.

20 Nov 2020

MMR vaccine could protect against COVID-19

The number of reported global infections of SARS-CoV-2 stands at 56.88 million as of 19 November 2020, and this number continues to rise.

20 Nov 2020

Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate triggers immune response

Now, Sinovac Biotech's candidate vaccine, CoronaVac, has been found to induce an immune response in healthy adults aged 18–59 years, 28 days post-vaccination. However, the level of antibodies generated was lower than in people who had recovered from the illness.

19 Nov 2020

Mosaic RBD nanoparticles elicit neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

The researchers show that the mice immunized with homotypic or mosaic nanoparticles produced broad binding and neutralizing responses, in contrast to plasma antibodies elicited in humans by SARS-CoV-2 infection. The RBD nanoparticles induced cross-reactive IgG responses in the immunized mice.

19 Nov 2020

Swiss data shows COVID-19 three times more deadly than the flu

Despite this, COVID-19 is often downplayed to be only a seasonal flu by many. This may be because both influenza and COVID-19 have a similar initial presentation, and it is tough to distinguish between the two based on just the clinical presentation.

19 Nov 2020

Cannabis use disorder may increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study suggesting that genetic vulnerability to a psychiatric syndrome called cannabis use disorder (CUD) may increase the risk of developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that requires hospitalization.

19 Nov 2020

New findings support current and planned clinical trials of Janssen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Researchers from the United States and The Netherlands have conducted a pre-clinical study supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 trial to test a two-dose regimen of the Janssen Ad26.COV2.S vaccine candidate among adult and elderly individuals.

19 Nov 2020

Study warns elderly individuals less able to reduce contacts during COVID-19 lockdown

In a rigorous medRxiv* preprint paper, a group of researchers demonstrate shifts in age structure and clinical characteristics of individuals affected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after social and economic reopening in three US states and show how elderly individuals were less able to reduce contacts when compared to the younger ones.

19 Nov 2020

Seroprevalence meta-analysis predicts 643 million already infected by SARS-CoV-2 globally

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by a team of international scientists reveal low seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the general population.

19 Nov 2020

Detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 120 days post-infection in Chicago case study

In a recent study, a team of researchers at Northwestern University, USA, had found that nearly 20 percent seroprevalence in the United States metropolitan site, Chicago, over the summer, during a period when lockdown restrictions were eased. They found that three-quarters of seropositive individuals retained detectable antibodies for at least 120 days or four months.

19 Nov 2020