Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New testing system for rapid detection of COVID-19

PCR tests have been hailed as the gold-standard in detecting and isolating COVID-19 cases. But they are more expensive than antigen tests and need a laboratory to process.

22 Sep 2022

How feasible and accurate are self-collected samples for the diagnosis of monkeypox?

Researchers evaluated the performance of monkeypox virus (MPXV)-infected patients' self-collected versus physician-collected clinical samples, including skin lesions, pharyngeal, and rectal swabs in the diagnostic tests.

22 Sep 2022

Most people infected with SARS-CoV2 recover within 12 months, study finds

A McMaster University-led study has found that most people infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus recover within 12 months, irrespective of the severity.

22 Sep 2022

All SARS-CoV-2 variants blocked by a simple peptide with nanomolar neutralizing efficacy

In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, researchers from Finland and the United States reported a novel heptad repeat 2 (HR2) peptide that inhibited severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) without any chemical modifications.

21 Sep 2022

An unusual case of Monkeypox virus transmission by needlestick injury

In a recent study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers described an unusual case of patient-to-healthcare worker (HCW) monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission via a needlestick injury that occured in Brazil.

21 Sep 2022

Virology of the human monkeypox virus

A new review to be posted in the Virus Research journal aims to provide an overview of the recent advances reported concerning hMPXV virology.

21 Sep 2022

What is the efficacy of aerosol treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection?

In a new study, researchers assessed the efficacy of the scFv76 antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lung damage.

21 Sep 2022

Synthetic mucin gels against HIV-1 and HSV-2 transmission

In a new study, researchers assessed the effectiveness of synthetic mucin gels in the inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) Transmission.

21 Sep 2022

The potential global risk of monkeypox importation

Researchers hypothesized various scenarios of travel restrictions to estimate the potential global risk of monkeypox virus (MPXV) importation.

21 Sep 2022

What is the efficacy of bioelectronic masks for the detection of respiratory infectious diseases like COVID-19?

In a new study, researchers demonstrated the detection of respiratory infectious diseases using bioelectronic masks.

21 Sep 2022

New antiviral mechanism of action for an FDA-approved thiopurine known as 6-thioguanine

Researchers described a novel antiviral mechanism of action for an FDA (food and drug administration)-approved thiopurine known as 6-thioguanine (6-TG).

21 Sep 2022

Common genetic variants of APOE associated with COVID mortality

It may be the most baffling quirk of COVID: What manifests as minor, flu-like symptoms in some individuals spirals into severe disease, disability, and even death in others.

21 Sep 2022

Covid still kills, but the demographics of its victims are shifting

As California settles into a third year of pandemic, covid-19 continues to pose a serious threat of death. But the number of people dying — and the demographics of those falling victim — has shifted notably from the first two years.

21 Sep 2022

Why fatigue from long COVID goes beyond simply feeling tired

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers in the Netherlands examined the role of inflammatory genes, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CD8+ T cells), and pro-inflammatory cytokines in long-lasting severe fatigue experienced by a large number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

21 Sep 2022

Evidence A.2 lineage of monkeypox is mutating

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers from India analyzed the whole genome sequences of the monkeypox virus isolated from monkeypox patients with and without international travel histories to understand the phylogenetic relations and genomic evolution of the virus that could contribute to higher transmission rates.

21 Sep 2022

Clinical and epidemiologic features of SARS-CoV-2 in companion animals

In a recent study posted to the Research Square* preprint server, researchers explored the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in dogs and cats.

21 Sep 2022

SARS-CoV-2 generates amyloid in cerebral spinal fluid

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, an international team of researchers demonstrated amyloid aggregation due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

20 Sep 2022

Recommendations for the treatment, prevention of monkeypox in nursing mothers

Although none of the preventative or therapeutic agents used in monkeypox have been fully studied in nursing mothers, Philip Anderson, PharmD, from the University of California, San Diego, presents a broad practical recommendation for the treatment and prevention of monkeypox in nursing mothers in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine.

20 Sep 2022

BU investigator wins highly competitive awards to study the role of proteases in regulation of cellular defenses

Mohsan Saeed, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has received a five-year, $2 million R35 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, as well as a five-year, $2.5 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

20 Sep 2022

Viable monkeypox virus found in nearly all environmental samples from patient's room in first week of infection

In a new study, researchers investigated the presence of viable monkeypox virus (MPXV) in a room occupied by an infected male patient admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Singapore.

20 Sep 2022