Daily curated COVID-19 literature
WP11 - The objective of this work package is to respond to requests concerning the current scientific knowledge on SARS-CoV-2. Based on the latest scientific literature the team will compile findings and give advice when needed
6 publications
2020-05-27
Evaluating the use of posterior oropharyngeal saliva in a point-of-care assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2
Expert Summary: In this study, The authors assessed the use of posterior oropharyngeal saliva as specimens for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an automated point-of-care molecular assay. Archived nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and posterior oropharyngeal saliva specimens of 58 COVID-19 patients were tested with the Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2 assay. In conclusion, posterior oropharyngeal saliva and NPS were found to have similar detection rates in the point-of-care test for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Due to the easy collection of posterior oropharyngeal saliva, the use of saliva as an alternative specimen type for SARS-...
2020-05-15
Development of multi-specific humanized llama antibodies blocking SARS-CoV-2/ACE2 interaction with high affinity and avidity
Expert Summary: The authors, using humanized llama antibodies, find VHHs candidates that block the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 S protein and ACE2. They generate a bi-specific VHH-Fc antibody that has a high S protein binding and S/ACE2 blocking functions at therapeutically relevant concentrations.
2020-05-11
Lack of cross-neutralization by SARS patient sera towards SARS-CoV-2
Expert Summary: The author’s findings demonstrate that there are no detectable cross-neutralizing antibodies in recovered SARS patient against SARS-CoV-2. They also find that there are still neutralizing antibodies against SARS in those patients 9 - 17 years after initial infection which could be interesting for guidance in the development of serologic tests and assessing longevity of protective immunity for SARS-related coronaviruses and vaccine efficacy.
2020-04-29
Isolation of Infectious SARS-CoV-2 from Urine of a COVID-19 Patient
Expert Summary: In this letter, the authors describe that they succesfully isolated infectious SARS-CoV-2 from urine of a COVID-19 patient. The virus isolated could infect new susceptible cells and was recognized by its’ own patient sera. The isolation of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in urine raises the possibility of fecal/urine-respiratory transmission. These findings raise the importance of using appropriate precautions to avoid transmission from urine.
2020-04-22
Development of a reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification as a rapid early-detection method for novel SARS-CoV-2
Expert Summary: The article describes a novel assay with a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) for the specific detection of SARS-CoV-2. The primer sets were designed to target the nucleocapsid gene of the viral RNA. The detection can be performed in 30 minutes and it has colorimetric visualization, which makes it simple to perform, less expensive, time-efficient, and can be used in clinical laboratories for preliminary detection of SARS-CoV-2 in suspected patients.
2020-04-15
Significance of Serology Testing to Assist Timely Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections: Implication from a Family Cluster
Expert Summary: In this study of family cluster of six people, five were seropositive for COVID-19, however only two were detected by molecular assays. The authors emphasize the significance of serology testing in close contacts screening for timely diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
