Hands up, who hasn ’ t had COVID-19?
So, mid -February I got a sniffle and a bit of a sore throat, like a common cold coming on. Did a lateral flow test and what do you know – positive for SARS-CoV-2, dammit. Ten days of isolation and an awful sore throat, an unsleepable sore throat, in fact, but thankfully no breathing problems. I’ve managed to take a couple of walks since and a bit of a bike ride, but they’re very stop and start, albeit managing about 3 miles. My lungs aren’t working at full capacity, I must admit, and I feel a bit post-viral.
I feel lucky and privileged to have been doubly vaccinated and also to have had a booster s...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - March 1, 2022 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: COVID-19 Source Type: blogs
TWiV 871: If the ACE2 fits, ferret
TWiV discusses whether or not Omicron should be designated a new serotype of SARS-CoV-2, and the finding that amino acid changes that adapt SARS-CoV-2 to mink or ferret do not increase fitness in the human airway. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 27, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody Omicron pandemic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
TWiV 870: COVID-19 clinical update #103 with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In COVID-19 clinical update #103, Daniel Griffin covers immunocompromised people, hospitalization of children, vaccine usage update, Omicron and cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies, reinfection prevents disease in hamsters, repeated infections with endemic coronaviruses, global burden of antimicrobial resistance, ivermectin not protective in hamsters, and Omicron evades therapeutic monoclonals. Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 870 (52 MB .mp3, 43 […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 26, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody Omicron pandemic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
TWiV 868: COVID-19 clinical update #102 with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In COVID-19 clinical update #102, Daniel Griffin reviews children and COVID, effectiveness of maternal vaccination, vaccines for immunocompromised, primary care physicians and vaccination rates, booster safety among adults, placentitis, azithromycin, oral Nirmatrelvir, Omicron antibody evasion, EUA for bebtelovimab, IL-1 blocking agents, thromboprophylaxis, effectiveness of vaccines against long COVID, and risks of mental health outcomes. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 25, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody pandemic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
TWiV 867: I love the smell of vaccines in the morning
TWiV reviews an experimental, intranasally administered SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that utilizes adenovirus vectors to deliver three viral proteins and induces immunity to ancestral and variant isolates. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 867 (128 MB .mp3, 107 min)Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 17, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody nasal vaccine Omicron pandemic SARS-CoV-2 T cells vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
Paul ’ s Uncle Doesn ’ t Want to Get Vaccinated
From the authors of Paul Has Measles, Paul Stays Home, and Paul and the Mosquitos, comes Paul’s Uncle Doesn’t Want to Get Vaccinated, an illustrated book for children about vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. Uncle Henry doesn’t want to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Paul, Sophie, and Luis are afraid that he will get sick, so they show him […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 16, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Information COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine viral virology virus Source Type: blogs
TWiV 865: COVID-19 clinical update #101 with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In COVID-19 clinical update #101, Daniel Griffin discusses children and COVID, human challenge study results, effectiveness of mask use, Omicron boost in macaques, mucosal vaccine candidate, long-term cardiovascular outcomes, and global vaccine perceptions. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 15, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody pandemic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
Will Microbes Finally Force Modernization of the American Health Care System?
Mike Magee MD
Science has a way of punishing humans for their arrogance.
In 1996, Dr. Michael Osterholm found himself rather lonely and isolated in medical research circles. This was the adrenaline-infused decade of blockbuster pharmaceuticals focused squarely on chronic debilitating diseases of aging.
And yet, there was Osterholm, in Congressional testimony delivering this message: “I am here to bring you the sobering and unfortunate news that our ability to detect and monitor infectious disease threats to health in this country is in serious jeopardy…For 12 of the States or territories, there is no one w...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 14, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Public Health Healthcare system infectious diseases microbes Mike Magee Source Type: blogs
A field guide to SarsCOV2
Gave a talk on SarsCOV2 to the Yolo County Community of Practice group. I basically discussed how the concept of a field guide can be useful for thinking about SarsCOV2. Here are my slidesA Field Guide to Sars-CoV-2 fromJonathan Eisen I will try to post the recording of the talk at some point.
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This is from the" Tree of Life Blog "
of Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist and Open Access advocate
at the University of California, Davis. For short updates, follow me on Twitter.
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Source: The Tree of Life - February 11, 2022 Category: Microbiology Source Type: blogs
TWiV 861: Rough draft of Omicron origins
Nels joins TWiV to discuss hypotheses for the origins of Omicron, including that it came from mice or arose during chronic infection of an immunocompromised patient. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Guest: Nels Elde Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 861 (69 MB .mp3, 114 min)Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 4, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody Omicron pandemic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
Our Canary in the Coal Mine: The Rapid Viral Testing Mini-Lab
Like a beggar telling other beggars where to find bread, I have to talk about our pediatric emergency department mini-lab for rapid viral testing and its undeniable positive impact on our practice during the pandemic. We had begun discussions with Abbott Laboratories months before the COVID-19 pandemic about setting up rapid testing for flu, RSV, and strep. Hospital administration approved moving forward with the concept, but like most big endeavors, administrative delays and other distractions resulted in many months passing without much apparent movement on the contract. And then it happened: The COVID-19 pandemic...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - February 1, 2022 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
TWiV 860: Evading a Toll on the road to RNA vaccines
TWiV reviews a seminal paper showing that chemically modified bases in RNAs suppress recognition by Toll-like receptors, a finding that that was essential for the development of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 1, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic pseudouracil RNA vaccine SARS-CoV-2 viral viruses Source Type: blogs
TWiV 859: COVID-19 clinical update #99 with Dr. Daniel Griffin
In COVID-19 clinical update #99, Daniel Griffin discusses Omicron disease severity, neurologic manifestations in children, testing outcomes during multiple infections, boosters improve VE and VD, booster efficacy for ED and UC encounters, vaccines induce cross-protective T cell memory, and indications for monoclonal antibody therapy. (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 1, 2022 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology antiviral coronavirus COVID-19 delta inflammation Long Covid monoclonal antibody Omicron pandemic SARS-CoV-2 vaccine vaccine booster variant of concern viruses Source Type: blogs
Quick and Accurate COVID Test Uses LAMP Assay
Researchers at the University of Washington developed a new COVID testing technology that can provide accurate results in as little as 30 minutes. The technology intends to be a bridge between PCR tests, which are accurate but slow, and antigen tests, which are rapid but suffer from reduced accuracy. The system provides results straight to a smartphone app, and includes an inexpensive sample reader. The technology could provide a viable point-of-care testing system.
As with a recently reported COVID-19 test intended for use in low-resource regions, this latest technology is based on loop-mediated isothermal amplificatio...
Source: Medgadget - January 31, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Medicine Public Health Source Type: blogs
Cheap and Portable COVID-19 Test Lab
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have created a low-cost, portable COVID testing kit intended for use in remote, low-resource regions of the world. They describe the approach as a lab-in-a-backpack, and it makes use of a recycled computer hard-drive as a centrifuge. The test assay relies on loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) rather than PCR, and costs just $51 to produce. Using a LAMP assay means that the test does not require thermal cycling, unlike PCR, meaning that the required equipment is much simpler.
The pandemic continues, and with the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant ma...
Source: Medgadget - January 31, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Medicine Public Health Source Type: blogs
