SARS-CoV-2
ObservationIndoor Dust as a Matrix for Surveillance of COVID-19Environmental surveillance to assess pathogen presence within a community is proving to be a critical tool to protect public health, and it is especially relevant during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, environmental surveillance tools also allow for the detection of asymptomatic disease carriers and for routine monitoring of a large number of people as has been shown for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring.
ObservationHigh-Throughput Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 Detection Enables Forecasting of Community Infection Dynamics in San Diego CountyWastewater monitoring has a lot of potential for revealing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks before they happen because the virus is found in the wastewater before people have clinical symptoms. However, application of wastewater-based surveillance has been limited by long processing times specifically at the concentration step.
Methods and Protocols | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceIdentifying Potentially Beneficial Genetic Mutations Associated with Monophyletic Selective Sweep and a Proof-of-Concept Study with Viral Genetic DataIn biology, research on evolution is important to understand the significance of genetic mutation. When there is a significantly beneficial mutation, a population of species with the mutation prospers and predominates, in a process called “selective sweep.” However, there are few methods that can find such a mutation causing selective sweep from genetic data.
Research ArticleComparative Genomics and Integrated Network Approach Unveiled Undirected Phylogeny Patterns, Co-mutational Hot Spots, Functional Cross Talk, and Regulatory Interactions in SARS-CoV-2In the current study, we presented a global view of mutational pattern observed in SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission. This provided a who-infect-whom geographical model since the early pandemic.
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyCoordinating and Assisting Research at the SARS-CoV-2/Microbiome NexusAlthough the COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a single virus, the rest of the human microbiome appears to be involved in the disease and could influence vaccine responses while offering opportunities for microbiome-directed therapeutics. The newly formed Microbiome Centers Consortium (MCC) surveyed its membership and identified four ways to leverage the strengths and experience of microbiome centers in the response to the COVID-19...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyHandwashing and Detergent Treatment Greatly Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load on Halloween Candy Handled by COVID-19 PatientsThe COVID-19 pandemic is leading to important tradeoffs between risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and mental health due to deprivation from normal activities, with these impacts being especially profound in children. Due to the ongoing pandemic, Halloween activities will be curtailed as a result of the concern that candy from strangers might act as fomites. Here, we demonstrate that these...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEnd-to-End Protocol for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 from Built EnvironmentsThe ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) pandemic has led to a global slowdown with far-reaching financial and social impacts. The SARS-CoV-2 respiratory virus is primarily transmitted from person to person through inhalation of infected droplets or aerosols. However, some studies have shown that virions can remain infectious on surfaces for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLow Baseline Pulmonary Levels of Cytotoxic Lymphocytes as a Predisposing Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19COVID-19 is caused by the highly contagious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and currently has detrimental human health, community, and economic impacts around the world. It is unclear why some SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals develop severe COVID-19 symptoms, which can be fatal, while others only develop mild symptoms. In the absence of an effective and widely available vaccine, it is of paramount importance that we identify risk factors for...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceComparative Genomic Analysis of Rapidly Evolving SARS-CoV-2 Reveals Mosaic Pattern of Phylogeographical DistributionThe COVID-19 pandemic continues to storm the world, with over 6.5 million cases worldwide. The severity of the disease varies with the territories and is mainly influenced by population density and age factor. In this study, we analyzed the transmission pattern of 95 SARS-CoV-2 genomes isolated from 11 different countries. Our study also revealed several nonsynonymous mutations in ORF1b and S-proteins and the impact on their structural...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceSARS-CoV-2 Titers in Wastewater Are Higher than Expected from Clinically Confirmed CasesWastewater-based surveillance is a promising approach for proactive outbreak monitoring. SARS-CoV-2 is shed in stool early in the clinical course and infects a large asymptomatic population, making it an ideal target for wastewater-based monitoring. In this study, we develop a laboratory protocol to quantify viral titers in raw sewage via qPCR analysis and validate results with sequencing analysis. Our results suggest that the number of...