by Gertrud U. Rey The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is steadily increasing around the world. Yet despite this unsettling fact, one statistic continues to hold true: most infected children experience mild symptoms, respond well to treatment, recover more quickly than adults, and have a better prognosis. An initial report from China showed …
When it comes to safeguarding the health of the US, there is no one I trust more than Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of NIAHD/NIH (whom I was fortunate to interview on TWiV in 2013). So when Dr. Fauci says that 100,000 people could die in the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak just in the US, I take notice. …
How many deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 will there be in the US? Read More »
Driving the anxiety and uncertainty about the current outbreak of COVID-19 is the case fatality ratio (CFR) being thrown about carelessly by not just the press, but also WHO and other organizations. However the CFR is not a one-size-fits all, and is influenced by many factors.
A coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from Malayan pangolins illegally imported into Guangdong province. It is not the precursor of SARS-CoV-2, but comparison of viral genome sequences provides further evidence that the virus currently infecting humans was not produced in a laboratory. There are two important sequences in the viral spike glycoprotein (pictured) …
Pangolins and the origin of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus Read More »
The spike glycoprotein of the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 contains a potential cleavage site for furin proteases. This observation has implications for the zoonotic origin of the virus and its epidemic spread in China. The membrane of coronaviruses harbors a trimeric transmembrane spike (S) glycoprotein (pictured) which is essential for entry of virus particles into the …
Furin cleavage site in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus glycoprotein Read More »
by Gertrud U. Rey Herpes simplex viruses establish lifelong persistent infection in sensory neurons of infected individuals, a phenomenon called latency. Latent viral genomes are “dormant” but can sporadically reactivate and begin replicating in a phase called lytic replication, which is often accompanied by shedding of virus particles and the appearance of painful lesions. There …
