Viral Diseases
Strategies to Eradicate Transmission of Poliovirus and Paralytic Poliomyelitis
Strategies to Eradicate Transmission of Poliovirus and Paralytic Poliomyelitis March 23, 2022 Introduction Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects children under 5 years of age. The causative agent, poliovirus, replicates in the gut but in some cases can invade the central nervous system and cause permanent paralysis (approximately one in 200…
Read MoreIs Bradykinin Involved in Covid-19 Pathogenesis?
Is Bradykinin Involved in Covid-19 Pathogenesis? March 18, 2022 Inflammation One of the hallmarks of Covid-19 disease is inflammation, mediated in part by overproduction of inflammatory cytokines. However, the mechanisms of such inflammatory process have not been clearly understood. In the past year the potential role of bradykinin, a small peptide and a members of…
Read MoreOngoing Outbreaks of Lassa Virus in Nigeria
Ongoing Outbreaks of Lassa Virus in Nigeria March 8, 2022 Context The first known confirmed Omicron (B.1.1.529) infection was from a specimen collected on November 9, 2021 in Botswana (1). The variant rapidly began to spread to South Africa and other Southern African countries. Nigeria also experienced daily surge of COVID-19 cases in December, and…
Read MoreResponse to A Recent Outbreak of Nipah Virus in India in the context of COVID-19 pandemic
February 24, 2022 Context India experienced a devastating second wave of COVID-19 between February and early May of 2021. Since then, cases have declined gradually. Interestingly, the southern Indian state of Kerala accounted for more than half of the country’s new COVID-19 infections this summer, but Kerala has one of India’s lowest COVID-19 fatality rates…
Read MoreCOVID-19 and the Gut Microbiome
February 11, 2022 Effects of Microbiomes The importance of the immunomodulatory effects of gut microbial populations has now been well recognized. In addition to their normal beneficial effects, alterations in the gut microbiota composition can lead to profound immune dysregulation and systemic inflammation. Because severe COVID-19 and long term COVID are driven by inappropriate immune…
Read MoreCell-Mediated and Innate Immunity Against SARS-CoV-2: What is Known
Cell-Mediated and Innate Immunity Against SARS-CoV-2: What is Known January 26, 2022 Titers of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 have proven a reasonable predictor of protection against infection and disease. However, T cell responses (CD8+ and CD4+), innate immune mechanisms, and Fc-mediated cellular cytotoxicity can also provide protective immunity against the virus. T cells The…
Read MoreOmicron: Transmissibility, Immune Evasion, and Pathogenicity
Omicron: Transmissibility, Immune Evasion, and Pathogenicity January 13, 2022 We are currently in a wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections dominated by the recently discovered omicron variant. What new threats does it pose? It is clearly able to overcome immune barriers to infection. Also, this variant is far more transmissible than others, making it an hyper transmissible…
Read MoreDeltacron: a new variant or a laboratory contamination?
Deltacron: a new variant or a laboratory contamination? Scientists have recently reported the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variant, “Deltacron”, resulting from the recombination of Omicron and Delta variants in infected patients. According to a GVN scientist, Deltacron is not a new variant, but the result of laboratory contamination. His sequence analysis suggests that the Omicron…
Read MoreGVN and Monaco COVID-19 Diagnostic Conference: Executive Summary
A December 2-3, 2021 Conference Towards the Deployment of a Global and Collaborative Diagnostic Arsenal to Detect and Fight Against Pandemics Amid global spread of the Omicron variant, under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Global Virus Network(GVN), the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco,…
Read MoreGVN and Monaco COVID-19 Diagnostic Conference: Promises and Challenges
GVN and Monaco COVID-19 Diagnostic Conference: Promises and Challenges Thursday, December 02, 2021 – Friday, December 03, 2021 Towards the deployment of a global and collaborative diagnostic arsenal to detect and fight against pandemics November 30, 2021: The current COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular the proliferation of variants such as Omicron, again emphasize the importance of…
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