Wu et al investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory and faecal samples among patients with confirmed COVID-19 (n=74). Of these, 33 had no SARS-CoV-2 RNA in their faecal samples, while their nasal swabs remained positive for an average of 15.4 days.
2020
COVID-19 spurs interest in preprints and improves scientific collaboration
Opinion While rigorous peer review ensures studies are held to high standards, it is not a short process, with some papers taking months or even years to get published. However, in situations such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, time is of the essence. Preprints offer a platform...
BCG & COVID-19
Miller et al., (Pre-print) suggest a correlation between BCG vaccination policy and COVID-19. They suggest that high rates of COVID-19 in countries such as Italy, Netherlands and USA, could be related to non-universal BCG vaccination. However, a RCT is required to determine this.
Potent neutralizing antibodies isolated from COVID-19 patients
Bin et al isolated and characterized 206 potential therapeutic and prophylactic monoclonal Abs from 8 COVID-19 patients. The isolated Abs were found to prevent RBD-ACE-2 interaction and to have high binding affinity and neutralizing activity...
The potential benefit of high-dose intravenous Ig in severe COVID-19
Cao et al., describe a promising clinical outcome of three patients presenting with severe COVID-19 and treated with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). According to the authors "All patients were clinically improved shortly following the administration...
SOLIDARITY TRIAL: Testing existing drugs to treat COVID-19
In an attempt to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 2014–16 West African Ebola epidemic, where clinical trials were set up late, leading to the under-recruiting of patients – in the current pandemic researchers have decided to start trials as soon as possible...
Why is COVID-19 so mild in children?
One explanation for the milder COVID-19 disease presentation in children may be that children have a qualitatively different response to the SARS-CoV2 virus to adults (1). Another possibility is the common simultaneous presence of additional viruses in the mucosa of lungs and airways of young children...
SOLIDARITY TRIAL: WHO COVID-19 treatment trial
In an unprecedented effort to obtain scientific data during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the new SOLIDARITY trial that would include thousands of patients from around the world (45 countries and counting)...
Could blood groups influence COVID-19 disease severity?
Biological factors that determine susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and severity of COVID-19 are yet to be fully understood. A pre-print released in medRxiv by Zhao et al suggests that the ABO blood grouping may influence acquisition of COVID-19 and severity of the disease.
Why are hypertension and diabetes patients at high risk of severe COVID-19?
Retrospective analysis of COVID-19 patient history showed that 12-22% and 23-30% of severe COVID-19 patients also had diabetes and hypertension, respectively. This and other reports suggest that hypertension and diabetes are associated with a high risk of severe COVID-19.