ETIDIOH - NEW

Abstract Background :  The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has differed across continents. We hypothesized that regional differences in SARS-CoV-2 immunity might explain this observation. We therefore established the WWW Consortium in Ghana , W Africa; Jamaica , W Indies ; and W London . Here, we describe the extent to which antibody immunity differs between these geographic locations.  Methods :  The WWW Consortium harmonises across the HERITAGE (Accra, Ghana), WINDFall (Kingston, Jamaica) and Legacy (London, UK) studies, establishing sharing frameworks for samples , metadata, and data; related permissions and oversight; and associated physical and cloud infrastructure. With centralised testing, we performed serological assessments across all three locations at two snapshots in 2024 (April 1st - August 18th; August 19th - December 31st) using high-throughput live virus neutralization and anti-nucleocapsid IgG, including n=763 individuals.  Findings :  We fo...

  Antiviral Res CHANG CW, Oswal N, Murugan M, Goldgirsh K, et al A novel cellular tool for screening human pan-coronavirus antivirals. Antiviral Res. 2025 Jun 10:106212. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2025.106212. PubMed           Abstract available Clin Infect Dis LEE R, Kim N, Kim WB, Im KI, et al Effectiveness and safety of Autologous Virus-Specific T Cell Therapy for Persistent COVID-19 in People with Immunocompromise: A Clinical Trial Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Jun 10:ciaf302. doi: 10.1093. PubMed           Abstract available SUDNIK P, Walsh EE, Branche AR, Islam M, et al Comprehensive Analysis of Cardiovascular Events and Risk Factors in Patients Hospitalized with RSV. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Jun 12:ciaf310. doi: 10.1093. PubMed           Abstract available Int J Infect Dis WEE LE, Ho RWL, Lim JT, Chiew CJ, et al Long-term multi-systemic sequelae post-hospitalizat...

  Antiviral Res MARTINEZ-GZEGOZEWSKA Y, Rasmussen L, Nebane NM, McKellip S, et al High-throughput screening for identification of Influenza A inhibitors using a cell-based immunofluorescence assay. Antiviral Res. 2025 Jun 6:106209. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2025.106209. PubMed           Abstract available Arch Virol LU Y, Ni J, Huang S, Guo Y, et al Epidemiological characteristics of human parainfluenza virus infections and phylogenetic analysis of human parainfluenza virus type 3 isolated from children with respiratory tract infections from 2020 to 2022 in Zhejiang, China. Arch Virol. 2025;170:157. PubMed           Abstract available JIN H, Cho YR, Jung YT Single-particle quantification of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles using flow virometry. Arch Virol. 2025;170:149. PubMed           Abstract available Cell STEVENS J, Culberson E, Kinder J, Ramiriqui A, et al Mic...

Highlights •  Acute COVID-19 usually causes mild illness even in young and immunosuppressed children •  Nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with more severe disease •  Concurrent serious bacterial infection is rare in children admitted with acute COVID-19. ABSTRACT Background Management and outcomes of children hospitalised with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection may differ throughout the pandemic or with admission type (clinical COVID-19, incidental COVID-19 or nosocomial infection). Objectives Describe the severity, management and outcomes of hospitalised children with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in Australia across the first 4 years of the pandemic and compare between admission types, SARS-CoV-2 variants, age groups and immune status. Study design A multi-centre prospective cohort study of 6,009 children aged 0-16 years between January 2020 to June 2023. Results Most children (84.3%) did not receive respiratory support , 33.4% received antibiotics and 8% were admitted...

ABSTRACT Understanding viral evolutionary dynamics is crucial to pandemic responses, prediction of virus adaptation over time , and virus surveillance for public health strategies. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has enabled fine-grained studies of virus evolution in the human population . Serial passaging in vitro offers a complementary controlled environment to investigate the emergence and persistence of genetic variants that may confer selective advantage . In this study, nine virus lineages , including four “ variants of concern ” and three former “ variants under investigation ,” were sampled over ≥33 serial passages (range 33–100) in Vero E6 cells . WGS was used to examine virus evolutionary dynamics and identify key mutations with implications for fitness and/or transmissibility. Viruses accumulated mutations regularly during serial passaging. Many low-frequency variants were lost , but others became fixed, suggestin...

  Ann Intern Med MARCUCCI M, Chan MTV, Painter TW, Efremov S, et al Effects of a Hypotension-Avoidance Versus a Hypertension-Avoidance Strategy on Neurocognitive Outcomes After Noncardiac Surgery. Ann Intern Med. 2025 Jun 3. doi: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-02841. PubMed           Abstract available GOLDMAN JM, Moyer DV Flying the Plane While Building It: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ann Intern Med. 2025 Jun 3. doi: 10.7326/ANNALS-25-02436. PubMed          Antiviral Res MALUNE P, Esposito F, Tramontano E Unveiling SARS-CoV-2's heart: role, structure and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Antiviral Res. 2025 Jun 3:106208. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2025.106208. PubMed           Abstract available BMJ MURPHY F Covid-19: New variant spreading across Asia is found in UK. BMJ. 2025;389:r1161. PubMed          LOOI MK Trump wa...

{Excerpt} After the spread of SARS-CoV-2 JN.1, its subvariants, such as KP.3 (JN.1.11.1.3)1 and KP.3.1.1 (JN.1.11.1.3.1.1),2 and XEC (a recombinant lineage of two JN.1 subvariants),3 emerged and rapidly spread globally. Subsequently, LP.8.1 (JN.1.11.1.1.1.3.8.1),4 a descendant lineage of KP.1.1.3 (JN.1.11.1.1.1.3), accounts for approximately 30% of all global infections as of April, 2025 , as per data from Nextstrain. Thereafter, NB.1.8.1 (XDV.1.5.1.1.8.1), a descendant lineage of XDV , has started to spread worldwide. XDV is a recombinant lineage of XDE (a recombinant lineage of GW.5.1 [XBB.1.19.1.5.1] and FL.13.4 [XBB.1.9.1.13.4]) and JN.1. NB.1.8.1 has acquired seven spike substitutions and 23 non-spike substitutions compared with JN.1 (appendix pp 15–16). Compared with the XEC spike protein, the NB.1.8.1 spike bears four substitutions : G184S, K478I, A435S, and L1104V (appendix pp 15–16). We estimated the relative effective reproduction number (Re) of NB.1.8.1 using a Bayesian mult...

{Excerpt} The SARS-CoV-2 saltation variant BA.3.2 , harbouring over 50 mutations relative to its ancestral BA.3 lineage , has recently drawn global attention (figure A). Notably, BA.3.2 exhibits 44 mutations distinct from the currently dominant LP.8.1/LP.8.1.1 variant (appendix p 4), raising speculation about its potential to drive an outbreak similar to BA.2.86 /JN.1, particularly following its first detection outside South Africa in the Netherlands on April 2, 2025.1–5 A critical evaluation of its antigenic profile and infectivity is essential to establish its likelihood of prevailing. (...) Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases,  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00308-1/fulltext?rss=yes ____

Abstract Frequent SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable populations has raised concerns that this may contribute to T cell exhaustion , which could negatively affect the quality of immune protection. Herein, we examined the impact of repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on T cell phenotypic and functional exhaustion in frail older adults in long-term care (n = 23), individuals on immunosuppressive drugs (n = 10), and healthy adults (n = 43), in Canada . Spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell levels did not decline in any cohort following repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, nor did the expression of exhaustion markers on spike-specific or total T cells increase. T cell production of multiple cytokines (i.e. polyfunctionality) in response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 did not decline in any cohort following repeated vaccination. None of the cohorts displayed elevated levels of terminally differentiated T cells following multiple SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. Thus, repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was...

ABSTRACT Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who require hospitalization are at high risk of invasive pulmonary mucormycosis . Amphotericin B (AmB), which is the first-line therapy for invasive pulmonary mucormycosis, has been shown to promote or inhibit replication of a spectrum of viruses. In this study, we first predicted that AmB and nystatin had strong interactions with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins using in silico screening, indicative of drugs with potential therapeutic activity against this virus. Subsequently, we investigated the impact of AmB, nystatin, natamycin, fluconazole, and caspofungin on SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication in vitro. Results showed that AmB and nystatin actually increased SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6, Calu-3, and Huh7 cells . At optimal concentrations, AmB and nystatin increase SARS-CoV-2 replication by up to 100- and 10-fold in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells, respectively. The other antifungals t...

Abstract Free-ranging white-tailed deer (WTD) are highly susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus . Through an opportunistic sampling of WTD in northeast Ohio, USA , during January–March 2023 , we identified 6 SARS-CoV-2 lineages from 36 sequences using the pangolin lineages tool, including the B.1.1.7 lineage (Alpha variant) and BQ.1.1, BQ.1.1.63, BQ.1.1.67, BQ.1.23, and XBB.1.5.35 lineages ( Omicron variant ). The Alpha variant, introduced by a single human-to-deer transmission event , was detected in 5 WTD in January 2023, more than 1 year after the most recent detection of the Alpha variant in humans in Ohio (August 2021). A genetically similar B.1.1.7 lineage virus from WTD in a nearby county in Pennsylvania was positioned with our Ohio deer transmission cluster, suggesting deer-to-deer transmission . The persistence of the Alpha variant in WTD in Ohio warrants continued surveillance to monitor if WTD can become a reservoir for displaced SARS-CoV-2 variants. Source: US Centers for Dise...

  Am J Respir Crit Care Med KRISHNAN JA, Cao B, Chotirmall SH, Ely EW, et al Using the 2024 NASEM Definition of Long COVID: Implications for Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025. PubMed          BMJ IBRAHIM S, Siemieniuk RAC, Oliveros MJ, Islam N, et al Drug treatments for mild or moderate covid-19: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2025;389:e081165. PubMed           Abstract available BOSAEED M, Alraddadi BM Navigating the complexities of mild and moderate covid-19 treatment. BMJ. 2025;389:r1016. PubMed          TANNE JH US no longer recommends covid-19 vaccinations for pregnant women or children. BMJ. 2025;389:r1104. PubMed          O'DOWD A, Iacobucci G Covid-19: Early call to test healthcare staff was ignored, inquiry hears. BMJ. 2025;389:r1092. PubMed       ...

  Arch Virol LIU X ACE2, a therapeutic target of COVID-19, needs to be treated with caution. Arch Virol. 2025;170:143. PubMed           Abstract available BMJ IBRAHIM S, Siemieniuk RAC, Oliveros MJ, Islam N, et al Drug treatments for mild or moderate covid-19: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2025;389:e081165. PubMed           Abstract available J Immunol DING C, Chen Q, Shi Y, Liu J, et al Impact of CD4+ T cell and TCR repertoires on SARS-CoV-2-Specific antibody responses in PLWH following COVID-19 vaccination. J Immunol. 2025 Apr 15:vkae040. doi: 10.1093. PubMed           Abstract available J Infect PETER RS, Sedelmaier L, Nieters A, Brockmann SO, et al Symptom burden and post-COVID-19 syndrome 24 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection: Longitudinal population-based study. J Infect. 2025;90:106500. PubMed        ...

  Situation at a glance Since mid-February 2025, according to data available from sentinel sites, global SARS-CoV-2 activity has been increasing, with the test positivity rate reaching 11%, levels that have not been observed since July 2024.  This rise is primarily observed in countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions .  Since early 2025 , global SARS-CoV-2 variant trends have slightly shifted. Circulation of LP.8.1 has been declining, and reporting of NB.1.8.1, a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM), is increasing , reaching 10.7% of global sequences reported as of mid-May.  Recent increases in SARS-CoV-2 activity are broadly consistent with levels observed during the same period last year, however, there still lacks a clear seasonality in SARS-CoV-2 circulation, and surveillance is limited.  Continued monitoring is essential . WHO advises all Member States to continue applying a risk-based, integrated approach to managing C...