In a recent study conducted at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, India, a team of scientists screened specific genes of SARS-CoV-2 to identify factors that may contribute to viral infectivity.
Mink-derived SARS-CoV-2 mutations reduce antibody effectiveness
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is thought to be a disease originally occurring in animals but transmitted across the species barrier to human beings, probably through an intermediate host. Following human infection, the virus has been shown to transmit to some pet and farm animals, where it then mutates. A new preprint research paper posted to the
bioRxiv server shows that these mutations disrupt inhibition by neutralizing antibodies, both natural and therapeutic.
History of mink SARS-CoV-2 infection
The American mink is a profitable business focus, farmed for its fur in the Netherlands and many other countries. The first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed mink on a Dutch farm was identified in April 2020. The application of whole-genome sequencing showed that the virus was acquired from humans.
Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server reports the development of a modified mouse model that allows productive SARS-CoV-2 infection of the mouse lungs, as well as the exploration of type I and III interferon responses in this condition.
Vaccine candidate containing tetanus toxoid potentially protective against SARS-CoV-2
Researchers from Cuba, China, and France have demonstrated the potential of coupling a viral antigen with the tetanus toxoid protein as a vaccination approach to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Tetanus toxoid (TT) is a chemically inactivated version of the tetanus toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. This chemically inactivated antigen can be used as a protein carrier in vaccines to induce potent immune responses in vivo.
The SARS-CoV-2 infection process is mediated by a surface structure called the spike protein. The receptor-binding (RBD) domain of this spike protein contains a receptor-binding motif (RBM) that mediates the interaction of the RBD with the host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).