SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Hippopotamus,Hanoi, Vietnam

While investigating the death of a hippopotamus at a zoo in Hanoi, Vietnam, we isolated SARS-CoV-2 and sequenced the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene from different organs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the SARS-CoV-2 strain was closely related to 3 human SARS-CoV-2 strains in Vietnam.     

咽拭子新型冠状病毒核酸检测的临床价值

 目的 了解某院新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）患者的临床资料及咽拭子检查结果,评价咽拭子新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）核酸检测的临床价值,为临床诊断COVID-19提供参考。方法 回顾性收集中南大学湘雅医院2020年1月23日—2月18日经SARS-CoV-2核酸检测确诊COVID-19患者病历资料,分析患者临床资料、病毒核酸检测的取样次数、取样方法、标本类型、检测手段等信息。结果 28例确诊患者平均年龄（43.78±14.46）岁,男女比例为2.5∶1,46.42%的患者有武汉/湖北旅居史,14.29%的患者与确诊COVID-19患者有密切接触史。患者临床表现以发热（78.57%）、咳嗽（53.57%）为主,实验室检查可见白细胞计数正常（71.43%）,淋巴细胞计数下降（53.57%）,肺部CT呈多发磨玻璃影（92.59%）及斑片影（70.37%）。28例确诊病例中,发病至确诊的中位时间为5.5 d。首次采集标本SARS-CoV-2检测阳性者18例（64.29%）,首次可疑阳性1例;首次阴性（包括可疑阳性）,第二次采集阳性者5例（17.86%）;前两次采集阴性,第三次采集阳性者2例（7.14%）;经四次检测阳性者1例（3.57%）;经五次检测后阳性者2例（7.14%）。鼻/口咽拭子采样26例（92.86%）,诱导排痰2例（7.14%）,经鼻咽拭子、咽拭子、痰标本RT-PCR确诊27例（96.43%）,痰标本NGS测序确诊1例（3.57%）。结论 COVID-19临床常表现有发热及干咳,但无特异性,仍需依赖SARS-CoV-2核酸检测才能确诊。咽拭子作为发热门诊首选的SARS-CoV-2核酸采集方式具有简便易行的优势,但检测结果呈阴性并不能排除SARS-CoV-2感染。     

Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Vaccine Booster against SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Breakthrough Complications,Israel

We estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech, https://www.pfizer.com) booster dose against SARS-CoV-2 infection and reduction of complications (hospitalization, severe disease, and death) among breakthrough cases in persons in Israel >16 years of age for <20 weeks. VE estimates reached 96.8% (95% CI 96.0%–97.5%) for persons 16–59 years of age and 93.1% (95% CI 91.8%–94.2%) for persons >60 years of age on week 3. VE estimates remained at these levels for 8 weeks in the 16–59 age group and 11 weeks in those >60. A slow decline followed, becoming more pronounced in the last 2–3 weeks of evaluation. Estimates in the last week of evaluation were 77.6% (95% CI 68.4%–84.2%) and 61.3% (52.5%–68.4%) for persons 16–59 years and >60 years, respectively. The more pronounced VE decline coincided with rapid increase in Omicron variant activity. Rate reduction of breakthrough complications remained moderate to high throughout the evaluation.     

Differential Tropism of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 in Bat Cells

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 did not replicate efficiently in 13 bat cell lines, whereas severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus replicated efficiently in kidney cells of its ancestral host, the Rhinolophus sinicus bat, suggesting different evolutionary origins. Structural modeling showed that RBD/RsACE2 binding may contribute to the differential cellular tropism.     

2020年宁夏新冠疫情期间SARS-CoV-2与常见发热呼吸道病原流行特征比较分析

目的 了解2020年宁夏新冠疫情期间SARS-CoV-2与常见6种发热呼吸道病原的检出情况、流行规律和感染特点,为新冠疫情常态化防控提供理论依据。方法 应用Real time RT-PCR技术对2020年1月20日至2020年2月16日期间宁夏疾病预防控制中心收检的COVID-19筛查样本进行SARS-CoV-2和Flu等常见发热呼吸道病原进行定性检测,并收集各病原阳性患者人口学特征资料。结果 529例COVID-19筛查样本中,SARS-CoV-2阳性检出率为13.23%（70/529）。对COVID-19筛查样本中180份符合条件的FRS病例样本进行6种其他呼吸道病毒病原检测,阳性检出率为12.78%（23/180）,其中检出率较高的病原为Flu和HRSV,阳性率分别为5.00%和2.78%。各时间段内SARS-CoV-2阳性检出率存在两个较为明显的峰值,其他呼吸道病毒总阳性检出率稳中有降。SARS-CoV-2阳性检出率男性和女性差异无统计学意义,41~ 60岁组及60岁以上组阳性率较高,分别为25.00%和24.39%,阳性病例在宁夏五市均有分布,银川市最多;其他呼吸道病原男性检出率显著高于女性,41~ 60岁组阳性率最高,其次为0~20岁组,阳性率分别为33.33%和12.20%,阳性主要集中于银川与中卫两市。结论 在常态下防控新冠疫情的背景下,应加强呼吸道传播病原快速筛查体系的建设以达到精准防控传染病的迫切需求。     

新型冠状病毒传播途径及个人防护措施研究进展

新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行对世界造成了重大影响。了解新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）传播规律有助于公共卫生人员在实际工作中明确防控重点。本文通过对现有文献（截至2022年5月2日）进行总结,基于典型案例、实验室研究等结果分析梳理目前已知的SARS-CoV-2主要传播方式并分类,提出相应的个人防护策略,为新冠病毒传播防控提供参考。     

COVID-19 vaccine and boosted immunity: Nothing ad interim to do?

Today, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency and vaccination measures to counter its diffusion are deemed necessary. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of the disease, unleashes a T-helper 2 immune response in those patients requiring intensive care. Here, we illustrate the immunological mechanism to train the immune system towards a more effective and less symptomatic T-helper 1 immune response, to be exploited against SARS-CoV-2.     

Impact of a Nationwide Lockdown on SARS-CoV-2 Transmissibility,Italy

On March 11, 2020, Italy imposed a national lockdown to curtail the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We estimate that, 14 days after lockdown, the net reproduction number had dropped below 1 and remained stable at »0.76 (95% CI 0.67–0.85) in all regions for >3 of the following weeks.     

Evaluation of Commercially Available High-Throughput SARS-CoV-2 Serologic Assays for Serosurveillance and Related Applications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) serosurveys can estimate cumulative incidence for monitoring epidemics, requiring assessment of serologic assays to inform testing algorithm development and interpretation of results. We conducted a multilaboratory evaluation of 21 commercial high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 serologic assays using blinded panels of 1,000 highly characterized specimens. Assays demonstrated a range of sensitivities (96%–63%), specificities (99%–96%), and precision (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.55–0.99). Durability of antibody detection was dependent on antigen and immunoglobulin targets; antispike and total Ig assays demonstrated more stable longitudinal reactivity than antinucleocapsid and IgG assays. Assays with high sensitivity, specificity, and durable antibody detection are ideal for serosurveillance, but assays demonstrating waning reactivity are appropriate for other applications, including correlation with neutralizing activity and detection of anamnestic boosting by reinfections. Assay performance must be evaluated in context of intended use, particularly in the context of widespread vaccination and circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants.     

Fatal Co-infections with SARS-CoV-2 and Legionella pneumophila,England

Both Legionella pneumophila and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can cause pneumonia. L. pneumophila is acquired from water sources, sometimes in healthcare settings. We report 2 fatal cases of L. pneumophila and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection in England. Clinicians should be aware of possible L. pneumophila infections among SARS-CoV-2 patients.     

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Vaccination

We report 3 patients in California, USA, who experienced multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) after immunization and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. During the same period, 3 adults who were not vaccinated had MIS develop at a time when ≈7% of the adult patient population had received >1 vaccine.     

Lung Pathology of Mutually Exclusive Co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Streptococcus pneumoniae

Postmortem lung pathology of a patient in Japan with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection showed diffuse alveolar damage as well as bronchopneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. The distribution of each pathogen and the accompanying histopathology suggested the infections progressed in a mutually exclusive manner within the lung, resulting in fatal respiratory failure.     

Risk Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Illness in Cats and Dogs

We tested swab specimens from pets in households in Ontario, Canada, with human COVID-19 cases by quantitative PCR for SARS-CoV-2 and surveyed pet owners for risk factors associated with infection and seropositivity. We tested serum samples for spike protein IgG and IgM in household pets and also in animals from shelters and low-cost neuter clinics. Among household pets, 2% (1/49) of swab specimens from dogs and 7.7% (5/65) from cats were PCR positive, but 41% of dog serum samples and 52% of cat serum samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG or IgM. The likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in pet samples was higher for cats but not dogs that slept on owners’ beds and for dogs and cats that contracted a new illness. Seropositivity in neuter-clinic samples was 16% (35/221); in shelter samples, 9.3% (7/75). Our findings indicate a high likelihood for pets in households of humans with COVID-19 to seroconvert and become ill.     

Fatal Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Adult after SARS-CoV-2 Natural Infection and COVID-19 Vaccination

We describe a fatal case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in an adult with onset 22 days after a second dose of mRNA coronavirus disease vaccine. Serologic and clinical findings indicated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection occurred before vaccination. The immunopathology of this syndrome, regardless of vaccination status, remains poorly understood.     

Waning Antibody Responses in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection

We investigated the kinetics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing antibodies in 7 asymptomatic persons and 11 patients with pneumonia. The geometric mean titer of neutralizing antibodies declined from 219.4 at 2 months to 143.7 at 5 months after infection, indicating a waning antibody response.     

Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Suggestive of Single Events of Spillover to Cattle,Germany

Human infection with SARS-CoV-2 poses a risk for transmission to animals. To characterize the risk for cattle, we serologically investigated 1,000 samples collected from cattle in Germany in late 2021. Eleven antibody-positive samples indicated that cattle may be occasionally infected by contact with SARS-CoV-2–positive keepers, but we found no indication of further spread.     

Early SARS-CoV-2 Reinfections within 60 Days and Implications for Retesting Policies

Illustrated by a clinical case supplemented by epidemiologic data, early reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 after infection with Delta variant, and reinfection with Omicron BA.2 after Omicron BA.1 infection, can occur within 60 days, especially in young, unvaccinated persons. The case definition of reinfection, which influences retesting policies, should be reconsidered.