Virus

An international collaborative effort is investigating whether specific genetic characteristics can make someone resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The goal is to understand why some people seem naturally immune to this new virus.

Building on a growing body of evidence linking viral infections with neurodegenerative disease, a study has shown how molecules on the surfaces of viruses can promote the aggregation of toxic proteins seen with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

A new analysis by the World Health Organization has estimated six in seven COVID-19 cases have gone undetected in Africa. The report indicates the real number of cases could be 60 million and a program to increase testing capacity has been proposed.

Two new studies are building on a hypothesis that multiple sclerosis (MS) can be triggered by viral infections in a person’s teenage years. The research raises concerns the current COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a surge in MS cases in the future.

A Canadian study has measured the virulence of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant compared to earlier strains of the virus. The research found, compared to the original strain, Delta is considerably more deadly and leads to greater numbers of hospitalizations.

Pharma company Merck has revealed the first data from its large trial of a pill for COVID-19. The results show the drug reduces a person’s risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 50 percent when taken within five days of symptoms appearing.

A large UK study found one in three COVID-19 patients report at least one lingering symptom six months after recovery, while another study found nearly half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients having at least one symptom a year after discharge.

Two studies from the CDC are offering evidence of universal mask-wearing practices in schools reducing rates of COVID-19 outbreaks. The research conducted across July and August delivers insights into how the Delta variant can spread in children.

How do rapid antigen COVID-19 tests work? Why did the US government just pledge to buy 280 million of them? And is that even enough to help curb the spread of the virus?

Sometimes, viruses can help us. According to a new study, a combination of antibiotics and a bacteria-killing virus eradicates harmful bacteria better than either one is capable of doing on its own.

The US National Institutes of Health is investing $470 million dollars into research on long COVID. The massive nationwide study into this often-debilitating condition will include tens of thousands of patients and span more than 30 research institutions.

A new study is suggesting a novel causal link between neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and infection with the herpesvirus. The preclinical research indicates a deficiency in a key protein allows the virus to trigger neuronal damage.