Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Investigating the immunology of COVID-19 infected children

Researchers published a new study that focused on the key principles of developmental immunology associated with immunobiology and the clinical impacts of COVID-19 infections in children and adults.

7 Feb 2022

COVID-19 patients are at high risk of developing heart problems up to a year after infection

An analysis of federal health data indicates that people who have had COVID-19 are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications within the first month to a year after infection, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

7 Feb 2022

Evolutionary history of ACE2 binding across a diverse range of sarbecoviruses and ACE2 orthologs

Researchers have been investigating sarbecovirus lineages and the ability of those lineages to evolve the ability to bind ACE2.

7 Feb 2022

Study explores omicron-reactive T- and B- cell responses in COVID-19 vaccine recipients

A new study analyzes neutralizing antibodies and T-cell responses targeting the SARS-CoV-2 D614G, as well as some variants of concern.

7 Feb 2022

Study investigates if prior SARS-CoV-2 infection increases sensitivity to toxin that induces parkinsonism

A recent study explored whether individuals who have recovered from mild to moderate or severe COVID-19 may have an increased risk for developing Parkinson’s disease in the future.

7 Feb 2022

USP22 crucial for type III interferon signaling and SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* pre-print server, a team of researchers demonstrated that ubiquitin-specific peptidase 22 (USP22) is a crucial regulator of basal interferon (IFN) signaling in native human intestinal epithelial cells (hIECs).

7 Feb 2022

Booster vaccines found to augment T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron

In a recent study published in the latest issue of the journal Cell, a team of researchers evaluated T-cell reactivity to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant's spike (S) and non-spike proteins.

6 Feb 2022

Sentinel cards found to be effective for indoor SARS-CoV-2 monitoring

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers used sentinel cards for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) monitoring in schools where individual-level sampling is tedious due to privacy or compliance reasons and higher cost.

6 Feb 2022

Vaccine-induced immunity and prior infection effective in reducing COVID severity in reinfections

A recent study posted to the Research Square* preprint server and under consideration for inclusion in the journal Scientific Reports assessed the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfections.

6 Feb 2022

Northwestern researchers study COVID-19 mechanisms, infection patterns and impact on gender minorities

Northwestern Medicine investigators continue to study the COVID-19 pandemic, from the biological mechanisms of disease and infection patterns to the pandemic's impact on women and sexual and gender minorities.

6 Feb 2022

First case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in asymptomatic flock owner in Europe

Following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in a flock of around 125 Muscovy ducks in a domestic setting in South West England on 22 December 2021, the virus was later also confirmed in the asymptomatic flock owner.

6 Feb 2022

Researchers discover a new function of anti-HIV-1 antibodies

Teams at the Institut Pasteur, CNRS, Vaccine Research Institute (VRI) and Université de Paris have discovered a new function of anti-HIV-1 antibodies by applying cutting-edge microscopy techniques to in vitro viral cultures.

6 Feb 2022

A novel approach to predict mutations within the SARS-CoV-2 spike

A study posted recently to the bioRxiv* preprint server demonstrated that the emergence of new spike variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be predicted.

6 Feb 2022

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection in a domestic cat

The first published case describing the Delta variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a domestic cat in the United States highlights the realistic scenario of spillover infections with emerging viral variants that threaten human and animal health.

6 Feb 2022