by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Adults hospitalized with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant have a higher death rate than those hospitalized with seasonal influenza, even though omicron is considered less virulent with lower case fatality rates than the delta and alpha strains. This is suggested by new research...
Category: <span>Virology</span>
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Severe hepatitis outbreak linked to common childhood viruses
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN FRANCISCO A new UC San Francisco-led study brings scientists closer to understanding the causes of a mysterious rash of cases of acute severe hepatitis that began appearing in otherwise healthy children after COVID-19 lockdowns eased in the United States and 34 other countries in the spring of 2022. Pediatric hepatitis...
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Explained | XBB.1.16, the Omicron recombinant behind India’s new COVID spike
A significant number of the genomes from outside India have been linked to international travel, mostly from India. March 21, 2023 07:16 pm | Updated March 22, 2023 12:16 pm ISTBANI JOLLY, VINOD SCARIA A health worker collects swab samples from an international passenger at the Chennai International Airport, March 18, 2023. | Photo Credit:...
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Teams identifies cell entry mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and therapeutic target for COVID-19
by Hong Kong Baptist University MT1-MMP+ACE2+ lung epithelial cells are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. a MT1-MMP+ cells were distributed across the indicated cell types in the human lung within UMAP. b Heat map analysis of MMP14 gene expression in various lung and airway cells. c The distribution of ACE2+ and ACE2+ MT1-MMP+ cells in the lung was assessed using human...
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EARLY, HIGH DOSES OF PLASMA CAN PREVENT COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS
Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, new variant outbreaks continue to fuel economic disruptions and hospitalizations across the globe. Effective therapies remain unavailable in much of the world, and circulating variants have rendered monoclonal antibody treatments ineffective. In the new study in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers analyzed clinical data and concluded that among outpatients with COVID-19, antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 given...
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More Evidence for Epstein-Barr Virus’ Role in MS
Jim Kling November 08, 2022 Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a suspect in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), and recent research developments have strengthened that connection. In 2022, two studies received quite a bit of attention. One showed that EBV seroconversion occurs in the years prior to MS diagnosis in virtually every patient, and that serum levels of the neuronal damage...
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The Achilles heel of the influenza virus: Ubiquitin protein may be an approach for future medicines
by Universität Münster UB-modified lysines reside in functional domains of the IAV polymerase. a, b 3D structural models of a WSN-adapted heterotrimeric IAV polymerase bound to vRNA (adapted from PDB: 4WSB; a) or cRNA (adapted from PDB: 5EPI; b) created by comparative homology modeling. Positions of lysines with diglycyl remnants are depicted in violet (PB2,...
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Another animal virus has jumped to humans?
Credit: CC0 Public Domain The father of an 11-year-old Cambodian girl who died this week from bird flu has tested positive for the virus, health officials said on Friday. The girl fell ill on February 16 with a fever, cough and sore throat, and died on Wednesday from bird flu virus H5N1, the Cambodian health...
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Symptom and viral rebound uncommon after untreated COVID-19 infection
by American College of Physicians Credit: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.7326/M22-2381 An analysis of a COVID-19 trial has found that a combination of symptoms and viral rebound after untreated COVID-19 infection is rare, occurring in only 3% of study participants. The analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir is a recommended treatment for outpatients...
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Long COVID data tracks fatigue, symptoms by variant
by Rush University Medical Center Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The latest published study from INSPIRE provides important new insight into how lingering symptoms differ by virus variant and more specific data about persistent fatigue—the symptom most associated with what has become known as “long COVID.” “Given the evolving pathogenic properties of COVID variants, we need...