Did you watch the IUIS Webinar on COVID-19 Vaccines by Rino Rappouli (Chief Scientist and Head of R&D at GSK. If you missed it, please watch it below. Prof. Gary Kobinger (Laval University, Canada) conducted an Audio Interview on “SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development: Where Are We Now ?”.
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Chloroquine treatment and COVID-19
In 2005, after the 2002-3 SARS epidemic researchers demonstrated the in-vivo anti-viral effect of chloroquine in primate cell lines infected with SARS-CoV. These results were further confirmed by Gao et al., Wang et al., & Liu et al.., who also showed inhibitory effects of chloroquine on SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19.
Exhaustion of antiviral NK and CD8 T cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Natural Killer (NK) cells and CD8+ Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs) play key roles in the control of viral infections. Zheng et al have studied the function of these lymphocytes in 68 COVID-19 patients, including 55 and 13 patients with mild and severe disease, respectively.
The different clinical characteristics of COVID-19 between children and adults.
Su et al., showed that COVID-19 in children has a mild or asymptomatic clinical process, which is a largely better prognosis than that in adults. However, PCR positivity in stool seems to last longer in children than in their family members. A study by Dong et al....
Safety considerations in laboratory practice when testing specimens from patients suspected or infected with SARS-CoV-2
The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, has again heightened the need for laboratories to review their biosafety practices and to update them with the new recommendations.
A serological assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in humans
An alternative method for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection would be using serological tests that detect SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody (Ab) responses. However, no SARS-CoV-2 serological assays are available at point of care..
Where did SARS-CoV-2 come from?
In previous zoonotic coronavirus events (SARS & MERS), near-identical strains of the virus were found in animal intermediate hosts; however, a near-identical strain of SARS-CoV-2 has yet to be found in animals. The genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 has highest similarity (96.3%) to that of Bat_SL-CoV_RaTG13...
Faecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2
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.
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.