Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

An entire trimeric S-protein of SARS-CoV-2 is necessary for protective immune response

Researchers from Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington described a high-throughput and rapid technique to quantify circulating levels of functional antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), suggesting that the entire viral spike protein should be used to characterize the immune response. Their paper is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

14 Jun 2020

Early respiratory distress syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2 in a newborn

A recent case report from the researchers at the University of São Paulo, published in the journal CLINICS, shows how newborns can also be infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and develop serious symptoms, even though the most likely route of infection in such cases is still not completely clear.

14 Jun 2020

Early neutralizing response to SARS-CoV-2 dominated by IgA antibodies

Researchers from France and the U.S. demonstrated how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection could induce an early and vigorous virus-specific IgA response that paves the way for the production of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, with even better neutralizing properties. Their paper is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

14 Jun 2020

Cannabis plant may harbor SARS-CoV-2 for at least a week

Researchers at the Medicinal Genomics Corporation have warned that cannabis flowers exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may harbor the virus for at least seven days.

14 Jun 2020

NIAID and Moderna scientists describe SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Moderna Inc., have described the potent neutralizing effects of a candidate vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is currently being tested in a phase II trial.

14 Jun 2020

New test can detect the RNA of SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples in 30 minutes

A new diagnostic test can detect the RNA of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in urine, blood, saliva or mouth swab samples in just 30 to 45 minutes, according to a new study published June 12, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Laura Lamb of the Beaumont Health System, Michigan, USA, and colleagues.

14 Jun 2020

Using a face mask reduces the spread of COVID-19 infections

A study by a team of researchers led by a Texas A&M University professor has found that not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a person's chances of being infected by the COVID-19 virus.

14 Jun 2020

Hydroxychloroquine shows no antiviral effect on SARS-Cov-2 in non-human primate models

A study on the effects of hydroxychloroquinei n macaques infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, , used alone or in combination with azithromycin, have been pre-published on Research Square, after their submission to Nature.

12 Jun 2020

JRC creates a database of COVID-19 diagnostic devices and test methods

As part of EU efforts to provide guidance on the use of coronavirus tests, the JRC has created a database of COVID-19 in vitro diagnostic devices and test methods that gathers information on available tests in one place.

12 Jun 2020

Asymptomatic infections may account for up to 45% of all COVID-19 cases

An extraordinary percentage of people infected by the virus behind the ongoing deadly COVID-19 pandemic never show symptoms of the disease, according to the results of a Scripps Research analysis of public datasets on asymptomatic infections.

12 Jun 2020

COVID-19 may trigger the onset of diabetes in healthy people

Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 may actually trigger the onset of diabetes in healthy people and also cause severe complications of pre-existing diabetes.

12 Jun 2020

Study finds self-swabbing tests for COVID-19 to be accurate and safe

Test samples collected by people who swabbed their own nasal passages yielded results for the COVID-19 virus that were as accurate as samples collected by a health care worker, according to a small study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

12 Jun 2020

Case series: COVID-19 in teriflunomide-treated patients with MS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their clinicians have had questions and concerns about whether immunotherapies for MS could influence risk for infection or lead to an unfavorable outcome.

12 Jun 2020

New modeling study evaluates impact of COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries

A new modeling study evaluating unfolding COVID-19 epidemics among different income countries reports that, in lower income countries, even if risk is reduced because populations are younger, this benefit is largely negated by limited health system capacity and closer inter-generational contact.

12 Jun 2020