Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among blood donors in China

Now, a study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reports on the low seroprevalence of antibodies to the virus, now designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), among blood donors in Wuhan, the Chinese city it all started in, and two other equally large cities in China.

17 Jul 2020

Game-Changer: A SARS-CoV-2 serological test for 50-cents per sample!

A recent study published in the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that this is indeed possible. The development of this inexpensive but reliable and sensitive test could change the face of preventive measures for COVID-19 in low-resource settings.

17 Jul 2020

Rapid genomic surveillance of healthcare-associated SARS-CoV-2

The researchers from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge United Kingdom have published their findings in a study titled, “Rapid implementation of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing to investigate cases of healthcare-associated COVID-19: a prospective genomic surveillance study,” in the latest issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

16 Jul 2020

New insight into the SARS-CoV-2 infection process

Canadian researchers from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be using a unique method to gain entry into the cells.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows fused lung cells are pervasive in severe COVID-19

In a recent bioRxiv paper, scientists from Institut Pasteur and other research centers in France demonstrated how pathological effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are modulated by cellular proteins that can either inhibit or facilitate cell fusion and subsequent syncytia formation.

16 Jul 2020

NCI funds researchers to investigate how antibody responses affect COVID-19 outcomes

A $328,000 National Cancer Institute grant will enable researchers at Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) to investigate one of the mechanisms that may be responsible for the body's inability to fight COVID-19.

16 Jul 2020

Compelling study shows heparin may protect against COVID-19

A compelling new study conducted by an international team of researchers has demonstrated that the widely used blood-thinning medication - heparin - can block infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Jul 2020

British Columbia’s successful response to COVID-19 - policy anchored by science

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the BC Center for Disease Control in Vancouver have reported the first estimates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence for Canada before and after mitigation measures were relaxed in May.

16 Jul 2020

CBD may help reduce cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation in COVID-19

Cannabidiol, or CBD, may help reduce the cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation that is killing many patients with COVID-19, researchers say.

16 Jul 2020

Selective statins may reduce SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and inhibit infection

Statins are a class of drugs often used to control high cholesterol levels in obesity. Now, a study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 suggests that statins do not aggravate the risk of COVID-19 infection and may have a small beneficial effect in some cases.

16 Jul 2020

New study offers guidelines on elective orthopedic surgery

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Americans have had to delay recommended but elective orthopedic surgical procedures, such as joint replacement surgery or knee arthroscopy.

16 Jul 2020

Children with MIS-C have different antibody responses than adults with COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint medRxiv in July 2020 reveals that children with the condition Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have a distinctly different pattern of antibody generation compared to adults with COVID-19 disease.

16 Jul 2020

Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 placental infection in mild COVID-19

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reveals evidence of placental infection and hypoxia, despite the lack of serious symptoms in the mother.

16 Jul 2020

Likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 transmission may depend on blood type of spreader and recipient

A modeling study by Dr. Peter Ellis from the University of Kent indicates that ABO incompatibility between infected patients and susceptible individuals may actually decrease the transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by 60% or more. His detailed investigation of such "ABO-interference" can be found on the medRxiv preprint server.

15 Jul 2020

Latent tuberculosis infection in European countries closely correlates with COVID-19 infection

In a recent medRxiv preprint research paper, scientists from India analyzed twenty European countries and showed that the prevalence of exposure to Mycobacterium spp. (which includes BCG vaccine) is consistently negatively correlated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections.

15 Jul 2020

Model suggests U.S. opened up too early as COVID-19 ran wild

A new modeling framework designed to track the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in the U.S. suggests that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic was not under control by the end of May - just before containment measures were relaxed.

15 Jul 2020

Study explains why fetuses and newborns are mostly spared by COVID-19

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, it has been previously suggested that the most vulnerable individuals to developing severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and those who have weakened immune systems.

15 Jul 2020

Moderna vaccine induces robust immune response against SARS-CoV-2

The race to develop an effective vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is on, and one of the potential candidates shows promise in inducing an immune response.

15 Jul 2020

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 disappear within three months

The question is, does this infection confer lasting immunity? A new study published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection in July 2020 appears to show that it does not, with antibodies to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disappearing within three months of infection.

15 Jul 2020

Certain antibodies may cause the dangerous part of COVID-19 disease

A new study out of the Netherlands and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 discusses the commonly observed phenomenon of COVID-19 progression at 1-2 weeks from the onset of the earliest symptoms. This is ascribed to the overactivation of the inflammatory signaling cascade triggered by a hyperactive adaptive immune reaction, commonly called the cytokine storm.

15 Jul 2020