Category: Published Research
Airborne transmission of human-isolated avian H3N8 influenza virus between ferrets
Cell H3N8 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in China caused two confirmed human infections in 2022, followed by a fatal case reported in 2023. H3N8 viruses are widespread in chicken flocks; however, the zoonotic features of H3N8 viruses are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that H3N8 viruses were able to infect and replicate efficiently in organotypic […]
Sep 5, 2023
Communication of COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media by Physicians in the US
JAMA Approximately one-third of the more than 1 100 000 confirmed COVID-19–related deaths as of January 18, 2023, were considered preventable if public health recommendations had been followed. Physicians’ propagation of misinformation about COVID-19 on social media and other internet-based platforms has raised professional, public health, and ethical concerns.
Aug 15, 2023
Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19
The Lancet Many patients with COVID-19 develop physical, cognitive, and mental health impairments that persist for more than 3 months after infection, known collectively as long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition. Survivors of COVID-19-related critical illness are also at risk of the complications of post-intensive care syndrome. These multisystem manifestations can have a devastating impact on […]
Jul 18, 2023
Nature The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has resulted in a serious public health burden worldwide. In addition to respiratory, heart, and gastrointestinal symptoms, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience a number of persistent neurological and psychiatric symptoms, known as long COVID or “brain fog”. Studies […]
Jul 5, 2023
Blood Group A Enhances SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Key Points Among risk factors for SARS-CoV-2, ABO(H) blood group antigens have been one of the most recognized predictors of infection. However, the mechanisms whereby ABO(H) antigens influence susceptibility to COVID-19 remain incompletely understood. The receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, which facilitates host cell engagement, bears significant similarity to galectins, an ancient family of […]
Jun 27, 2023
The Journal of Infectious Diseases Understanding severity of infections with SARS-CoV-2 and its variants is crucial to inform public health measures. Here we used COVID-19 patient data from Hong Kong to characterise the severity profile of COVID-19. Methods Time-varying and age-specific effective severity measured by case-hospitalization risk and hospitalization-fatality risk was estimated with all individual […]
Jun 27, 2023
The Lancet Background The omicron BA.1 bivalent booster is used globally. Previous open-label studies of the omicron BA.1 (Moderna mRNA-1273.214) booster showed superior neutralising antibody responses against omicron BA.1 and other variants compared with the original mRNA-1273 booster. We aimed to compare the safety and immunogenicity of omicron BA.1 monovalent and bivalent boosters with the […]
Jun 20, 2023
Science Numerous viruses use specialized surface molecules called fusogens to enter host cells. Many of these viruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can infect the brain and are associated with severe neurological symptoms through poorly understood mechanisms. We show that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces fusion between neurons and between neurons and glia […]
Jun 14, 2023
Natural history of long-COVID in a nationwide, population cohort study
Nature Previous studies on the natural history of long-COVID have been few and selective. Without comparison groups, disease progression cannot be differentiated from symptoms originating from other causes. The Long-COVID in Scotland Study (Long-CISS) is a Scotland-wide, general population cohort of adults who had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection matched to PCR-negative adults. Serial, self-completed, online questionnaires […]
Jun 13, 2023
The SPIN framework to control and prevent the Marburg virus disease outbreak in Equatorial Guinea
NIH Abstract A full grasp of the epidemiological factors promoting transmission is necessary for responding to highly infectious diseases, which involves their control and prevention. With the recent outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Equatorial Guinea, we saw the need to re-shed some technical light based on our field experiences and published literature. We […]
Jun 6, 2023