Researchers based in Paris, France, have explored the potential use of zebrafish larvae as animal models for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These larvae are small and cheap, so could prove a suitable medium for rapid mass testing of the disease.
In the study, which appeared on the pre-print server medRxiv, the team developed a general mathematical theory to predict airborne transmission risk from carbon dioxide (CO2) time series in real-time and clarify different estimates that steer the guideline. The study findings were based on the assessment of transmission risk and implementing the guideline by CO2 monitoring in university classrooms and office spaces.
High SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in California, even with variants
Researchers in the United States and the UK have conducted a study showing that the rollout of vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is proving effective among California s general population.
The population-based surveillance study found that vaccination efforts are preventing infection with the causative agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) under real-world conditions, despite the widespread circulation of variants of concern.
Working on behalf of the California COVID-19 Case-Control Study Team, the researchers found that among fully vaccinated individuals (the second dose received two weeks or more previously), protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection was 86%.
A new study by Israeli researchers tested the hypothesis that certain SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern can overcome protection conferred by Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccine and found evidence of increased breakthrough rates in vaccinated individuals. The research paper is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.
During the process of SARS-CoV-2 infection, once the virus penetrates the host cell, two open reading frames, ORF1a and ORF1ab, are translated. ORF1ab is responsible for the production of 16 nonstructural proteins (nsp). Several viral proteases such as 3CLpro and PLpro (papain-like protease) produce 1-16 nsps. A new study has been published in bioRxiv preprint server, which deals with identifying drugs that are effective as PLpro inhibitors.