Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

High humidity can extend the airborne lifetime of virus-laden exhaled droplets

The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread through natural respiratory activities, such as breathing, talking and coughing, but little is known about how the virus is transported through the air.

18 Aug 2020

Cryo-EM experiments offer important clues to chicken pox infection

Despite decades of study, exactly how herpesviruses invade our cells remains something of a mystery. Now researchers studying one herpesvirus, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) that causes chicken pox, may have found an important clue: A key protein the virus uses to initiate infection does not operate as previously thought, researchers at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory report August 18 in Nature Communications.

18 Aug 2020

Democratic convention, night 1: Hitting Trump team on pandemic preparedness

On the first night of the Democrats’ 2020 national convention, one thing was clear. This time would be different. No crowds, buttons, placards or party swag. The coronavirus pandemic was an ever-present theme.

18 Aug 2020

Study to explore risks and benefits of breastfeeding during COVID-19

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? Science has long supported that "breast is best," but COVID-19 has brought with it new questions related to the benefits and/or potential risks of breastfeeding during this pandemic.

18 Aug 2020

Gene editing approach removes oral herpes

Infectious disease researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have used a gene editing approach to remove latent herpes simplex virus 1, or HSV-1, also known as oral herpes.

18 Aug 2020

Influenza viruses can spread through dust, fibers, and other microscopic particles

Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers and other microscopic particles, according to new research from the University of California, Davis and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.

18 Aug 2020

Study shows coronavirus thrives in dry air with low humidity

A new study by researchers from the University of Sydney and the Fudan University School of Public Health in Shanghai suggests that low humidity increases the risk of spreading the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Aug 2020

Majority of recovered COVID-19 patients have low neutralizing antibody titers

Now, a new study by researchers at New York University and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 reports on the type and intensity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in recovered COVID-19 patients and the implications of these findings.

18 Aug 2020

Interactive website shows how different policies affect employment and number of COVID-19 deaths

As states and cities grapple with how to reopen businesses, schools, and other staples of everyday life amid surges in COVID-19 infections, Asst. Prof. Abhishek Nagaraj and a team of researchers across four universities are building an interactive website that shows how different policies affect employment and the number of deaths from the virus.

18 Aug 2020

Pigs appear to be immune to SARS-CoV-2

Now, a team of researchers at Kansas State University aimed to determine if pigs are potential carriers of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

18 Aug 2020

Number of children contracting SARS-CoV-2 steadily increasing, CDC says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance revealing that the number and infection rate of COVID-19 cases among children have steadily increased between March and July, which may worsen as schools start to re-open.

18 Aug 2020

COVID-19 - England's lockdown vs. Sweden's herd immunity

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that lockdown is an effective way to reduce the extent and speed of infections in a country.

17 Aug 2020

Novel receptor protein may hold promise for treating COVID-19

A novel receptor protein that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevents it from entering cells may hold promise for treating COVID-19 and other coronavirus-related diseases, according to research published online Aug. 4 in the journal SCIENCE.

17 Aug 2020

3D printing technology rises to the frontlines to fight against COVID-19

The prevalence of the highly infectious coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has caused massive health and socio-economic upheavals worldwide.

17 Aug 2020

Mild COVID-19 cases can trigger robust memory T cell responses

Mild cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can trigger robust memory T cell responses, even in the absence of detectable virus-specific antibody responses, researchers report August 14 in the journal Cell.

17 Aug 2020

Telemedicine use by older adults has skyrocketed, new poll finds

One in four older Americans had a virtual medical visit in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of them by video, a new telehealth poll finds.

17 Aug 2020

Hydroxychloroquine is not a possible defense against COVID-19, study shows

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have added to the growing body of understanding about how hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is not a possible defense against COVID-19.

17 Aug 2020

Pre-COVID-19 coronavirus immunity does not protect against SARS-CoV-2

A recent study by researchers in France that's currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server claims that having previous immunity against common coronaviruses (alpha and beta) cannot protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

17 Aug 2020

New technique enables real-time observation of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry

Unlike living organisms, to avoid extinction, viruses need to hijack living host machineries to generate new viruses.

17 Aug 2020

Wits University begins South African trial of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

NVX-CoV2373 is produced by the biotech company, Novavax (Maryland, U.S.A). Novavax is a late-stage biotechnology company that develops next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases.

17 Aug 2020