COVID-19 Vs. Influenza: Influenza Vaccination Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a highly contagious virus, emerged in 2019 from Wuhan, China (1). It rapidly spread around the world causing a novel acute respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Consequently, the current COVID-19 pandemic impacts global health and…
Will Neutralizing and Therapeutic Antibodies Play a Role in the Treatment of COVID-19?
Interest has increasingly been focused on the potential of virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat COVID-19 by passive immunization. These antibodies generally target the viral spike protein to prevent infection by blocking ACE2 receptor binding to its receptor binding domain (RBD). There are several issues, however, that need to be addressed to determine when and…
Global Virus Network’s Institute of Human Virology and Italian Researchers identify a SARS-CoV-2 Viral Strain with Deletion in a Protein, Possibly Reducing Fatalities
A deletion in a protein, NSP1, which is important for reducing innate immune response may signal emergence of a less pathogenic viral strain Baltimore, Maryland, USA, August 24, 2020: The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a Global Virus Network (GVN) Center of Excellence, in collaboration with scientists…
Hydroxychloroquine-What’s the Deal?
The absence of efficient therapeutics for COVID-19 has brought much attention to evaluation of repurposing drugs. Hydroxychloroquine (HC) is an antimalarial drug that affects endosomal function and blocks autophagosome-lysosome fusion (1). Since coronaviruses use the endolysosomal pathway to enter the cell before uncoating, HC has been shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in cellular models. The…
RENOWNED DOHERTY INSTITUTE IN AUSTRALIA INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIES EARLIER FINDINGS THAT AN ANTIMICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY ERADICATES SARS-COV-2 ON SURFACES FOR MORE THAN SIX WEEKS
The Findings Corroborate Research Previously Released by the Rega Medical Research Institute of KU Leuven, Belgium Baltimore, Maryland, USA, August 13, 2020: The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition comprised of the world’s preeminent human and animal virologists from 55 Centers of Excellence and 10 Affiliates in 33 countries, announced that the Peter Doherty Institute…
The Role of Cytokine Storm in the Severity of COVID-19
There are two ways in which pathogens make us sick. One is by the direct effects of the pathogen itself. The other is by collateral damage from our hyperactive immune responses to the pathogen by the release of interferons (IFNs), interleukins (ILs), tumor-necrosis factors (TNF-α), chemokines, and several other mediators. This latter mechanism has appeared…
SARS-CoV-2 Salivary Tests
The benefits of saliva sampling for frequent and massive COVID-19 testing Saliva tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antigens are becoming widely available lately. What are the advantages and disadvantages of sampling saliva over the nasal swabs? Saliva sampling simply involves spitting into a collection container. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…
A Statement From the Leadership of the Global Virus Network on the Passing of Renowned Chinese Virologist Yi Zeng
A top cancer researcher and leader in public service is mourned Baltimore, Maryland, USA, July 23, 2020: The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition comprised of the world’s preeminent human and animal virologists from 55 Centers of Excellence and 10 Affiliates in 32 countries, collectively mourns the passing of Professor Yi Zeng, MD, Academician of…
Antibody Dependent Enhancement and SARS-CoV-2
When Developing a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine, Researchers Need to Consider that Antibodies May Enhance Infection Rather than Provide Protection There is encouraging news from recent clinical trials of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, including several candidate vaccines that induce neutralizing antibodies with no apparent adverse effects. Their protective efficacy at preventing infections is not yet known, but will be…
Further Insights into SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Variability: D614G
Can a single amino acid mutation in the spike protein affect the infectivity and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2? Recently, a great deal of attention has become focused on a specific SARS-CoV2 mutant in which amino acid residue 614 of the spike protein is changed from aspartic acid to the less bulky and more neutral glycine. This…