Virology

SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 is not more virulent

When the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in the UK in December 2020 it was accompanied by unsubstantiated claims of increased transmissibility and virulence. The results of a hospital-based study in London reveals no association of the variant with severe disease in this cohort. In a note published ...

A tapeworm drug to treat COVID-19?

Niclosamide (pictured) is a drug that has been approved in humans to treat infections with a variety of tapeworms. It might be useful for preventing SARS-CoV-2 replication and COVID-19 pathogenesis by inhibiting virus-catalyzed membrane fusion. Examination of the lungs of 41 patients who died of COVID-19 revealed, in addition to ...

Are the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Safe for Pregnant and Lactating People?

by Gertrud U. Rey Vaccination is the gold standard for preventing infectious diseases and reducing the impact of emerging pathogens. As more and more people are becoming immunized against SARS-CoV-2, a prominent question continues to arise: are the vaccines safe for pregnant and breast-feeding people? (Image credit: Shutterstock) None of ...

T cells will save us from COVID-19

In our quest to stop the COVID-19 pandemic by vaccination, we have been myopically focussed on inducing antibodies against the spike protein. As variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged that reduce the ability of such antibodies to block infection, concern has arisen that we will not be able to halt the ...

Five year persistence of Ebolavirus in humans

The current outbreak of Ebolavirus disease in Guinea, which began in February 2021, may have originated from a survivor of the 2013-16 outbreak in the same country. Phylogenetic analysis of genome sequences revealed that viruses from the current outbreak group with the Makona variant, which caused the 2013-16 epidemic. The ...
Scroll to Top