Discovery of novel SARS-related coronaviruses in bats
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is a relatively recently identified coronavirus that has since spread around the globe.
SARS-CoV-2 is believed to be zoonotic in nature, in that the virus likely spilled over from an animal to a human host at some point in late 2019. Although the exact origin of this virus remains unknown, it is highly likely to have originated from horseshoe bat or pangolin coronaviruses. Both of these zoonotic strains of coronaviruses bear a large number of similarities with SARS-CoV-2 in different regards; therefore, ratifying which of these initially gave rise to SARS-CoV-2 remains a challenge.
A research team at the University of Alberta, Canada, led by Dr. Daniel Limonta, has described two novel molecules with broad antiviral properties that are effective against a range of virus types, including SARS-CoV-2.
Two new SARS-like coronaviruses described in Russian horseshoe bats
Horseshoe bats (
Rhinolophus sp.) are known reservoirs of zoonotic coronaviruses (CoVs). Over the last twenty years, viruses thought to have originated from these bats have given rise to two severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic outbreaks in humans: SARS-CoV-1 in 2002/2003, which was limited mostly to Asia, and the currently globally circulating SARS-CoV-2, first identified in December 2019.
Several species of horseshoe bat are distributed across much of Eurasia and Northern Africa, and host a number of as yet unidentified SARS-like coronaviruses. As much of the world remains in the grip of the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 outbreak almost 18 months on, it is of great importance to identify and determine the prevalence of SARS-adjacent coronaviruses in horseshoe bat populations where future epidemics could arise from.
Increased heart rate as a physiological response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine
Countries like the UK, Israel, and the USA are now in the thick of successful vaccine campaigns against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the vaccine rollout continues, there have been thousands of anecdotal reports of receivers suffering symptoms of mild fatigue, achiness, and fever in the few days after dosage, to the point where members of the public that do not suffer such symptoms worry the vaccine hasn t worked for them.
Although widely publicized, evidence for physiological responses to the vaccines is currently scarce in published literature. Giogiro Quer and Matteo Gadaleta of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, USA, led an investigation to obtain tracking data for physiological responses to vaccine programs.
Highly efficient immune response in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients
Researchers in Singapore have investigated the role of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies and T-cells in asymptomatic individuals suffering from COVID-19. They found that, contrary to some initial hypotheses, asymptomatic individuals mount an adaptive immune response on par with symptomatic individuals, demonstrating that T cell response does not appear to be correlated with symptom severity.
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The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to spread around the globe. Countries such as the UK and USA are making strides in suppressing the virus with mass vaccine rollouts, but characterizing factors in disease severity between individuals remains important.