Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

CDC reports low mortality among children from COVID-19, but minorities are at risk

In the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 121 deaths among young people under the age of 21. Children from ethnic and racial minorities, those with underlying medical conditions, and in this age group, those between the ages of 18 and 20 are more likely to die from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.

16 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation is prevalent in central India

A team of scientists at the Defence Research and Development Establishment, India, reveals that there are multiple viral introduction events in central India, and SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation is the prevalently circulating strain.

16 Sep 2020

Self-assembling nanoparticles as a way towards next-generation COVID-19 vaccines

In a promising study by US researchers, the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and stabilized spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were displayed on nanoparticles as vaccine antigens and elicited potent immune responses.

16 Sep 2020

Low birth weight appears to increase risk of severe COVID-19 in adults

Researchers in Barcelona, Spain have conducted a study showing that low birth weight seems to be an independent risk factor for severe illness among non-elderly adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Sep 2020

Candidate monoclonal antibody shows hope as COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in the United States have described the effectiveness of a candidate monoclonal antibody currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial as a therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

16 Sep 2020

New images capture startlingly high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads

Now, a team of scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine produced striking images in respiratory tract cultures of the infectious form of the SARS-CoV-2 produced by infected epithelial cells.

16 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection severity linked to superior humoral immunity against the S-protein

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, Jenna J. Guthmiller et al., focus on the acute infection of SARS-CoV-2 and observe that the humoral immunity is distinctive with the infection stage and viral antigens.

16 Sep 2020

Microfiber pillows could harbor SARS-CoV-2 particles

A new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China and published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety suggests that respiratory pathogens can not only fall on the fabric covers but can also penetrate the outer cover and go into the microfiber stuffing.

16 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 N protein forms biomolecular condensates with viral RNA

Now, a study by researchers from the University of California has shown that the N protein forms biomolecular condensates with the viral RNA in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The research titled, ‘SARS CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein forms condensates with viral genomic RNA’, was published on the preprint server bioRxiv on September 14th, 2020.

15 Sep 2020

Different variants of SARS-CoV-2 identified in San Francisco Bay Area sewage

A team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, Innovative Genomics Institute, Illumina, Inc., and Stanford University has performed a genomic sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) collected from sewage in the San Francisco Bay Area.

15 Sep 2020

Can amodiaquine short circuit this pandemic?

A recent study by the US researchers highlights the value of the human organ chip technology as a more robust and physiologically relevant platform for rapid drug repurposing, and suggest that amodiaquine may be used to prevent the infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

15 Sep 2020

COVID-19 works with the body's microbiota to increase disease severity in obese and diabetic patients

The combined effects of the body's microbiota working together with COVID-19 in the lungs could explain the severity of the disease in people with obesity and diabetes, according to a new article published today in eLife.

15 Sep 2020

Sex and gender not receiving enough attention in COVID-19 trials

Researchers in Denmark and the Netherlands have conducted a study showing that sex and gender are not being adequately considered in clinical trials investigating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

15 Sep 2020

Patients with more severe SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibit larger antibody response

Researchers in the United States have found that individuals who develop more severe disease following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mount a larger antibody and memory B cell response during both acute infection and convalescence.

15 Sep 2020

Loss of taste in COVID-19 is highly variable by geographic region

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads in different parts of the world, scientists are still attempting to define the characteristic signs and symptoms that are useful in diagnosing the disease. This is essential knowledge to help contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. Especially when it comes to diagnosing symptomatic or mild cases of COVID-19, such research could hold the key to identifying more people and preventing viral spread.

15 Sep 2020

New antibody assay for COVID-19 promises sensitive mass-scale detection

A new paper by researchers at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020, reports on the development of a serologic assay that is suitable for sensitive high-throughput antibody testing for COVID-19.

15 Sep 2020

COVID-19 ‘long-haulers’ experience lingering health effects

Called “long-haulers” or “long-termers,” some people report lingering symptoms of the illness for months. These people experience symptoms ranging from fatigue and weakness to chest pains and difficulty breathing.

15 Sep 2020

A comprehensive response to COVID-19 must recognize the value of care work

Three American researchers have looked at the role of women in caring for COVID-19 affected individuals. The pandemic that has gripped the world for over six months now has skewed gender roles, they noted.

15 Sep 2020

Analysis of COVID-19 spread from China, Italy and Iran

A recent study looked at the patterns of the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from China, Iran, and Italy to other nations. The study by researchers at Case-Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Duke University is published on the preprint website medRxiv* in September 2020.

15 Sep 2020

3D printed nanoparticle biosensing platform detects SARS-CoV-2 antibodies within seconds

Pandemics caused by novel infectious agents like the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Zika, or Ebola virus seriously impact human health and lives while also overwhelming health care systems all over the world. Early detection and diagnosis allow isolation of the infected patients and contact tracing, which can mitigate the spread of the virus and save lives, especially when a significant number of the patients are asymptomatic.

14 Sep 2020