Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
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Front Cell Infect Microbiol · Jan 2021
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Viral RNA Load Status and Antibody Distribution Among Patients and Asymptomatic Carriers in Central China.
This study aimed to monitor severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral loads and specific serum-antibodies (immunoglobulin [Ig] G and M) among confirmed patients and asymptomatic carriers from returning healthy travelers. The throat swabs, sputum, and stool samples from 57 hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and 8 asymptomatic carriers, among 170 returning healthy travelers were tested using reverse-transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction. SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies were detected via serum chemiluminescence assay. ⋯ IgM/IgG-positivity confirmed 3 suspected SARS-CoV-2 cases, despite negative results for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Compared with other respiratory viral infectious diseases, COVID-19 has fewer asymptomatic carriers, lower antibody response rates, and a longer antibody production duration in recovered patients and the contacted healthy population. This is an indication of the complexity of COVID-19 transmission.
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Front Cell Infect Microbiol · Jan 2021
Comparing SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Anterior Nasal Vestibular Swabs vs. Oropharyngeal Swabs.
To investigate the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 testing in specimens collected from the anterior nasal vestibules of COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Respiratory swabs collected from the nasal vestibule offer a less invasive alternative to oropharyngeal swabs for specimen collection in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and have adequate sensitivity.
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Front Cell Infect Microbiol · Jan 2021
A Saliva-Based RNA Extraction-Free Workflow Integrated With Cas13a for SARS-CoV-2 Detection.
A major bottleneck in scaling-up COVID-19 testing is the need for sophisticated instruments and well-trained healthcare professionals, which are already overwhelmed due to the pandemic. Moreover, the high-sensitive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics are contingent on an RNA extraction step, which, in turn, is restricted by constraints in the supply chain. Here, we present CASSPIT (Cas13 Assisted Saliva-based & Smartphone Integrated Testing), which will allow direct use of saliva samples without the need for an extra RNA extraction step for SARS-CoV-2 detection. ⋯ Upon validation of clinical sensitivity on RNA extraction-free saliva samples (n = 76), a 98% agreement between the lateral-flow readout and RT-qPCR data was found (Ct<35). To enable user-friendly test results with provision for data storage and online consultation, we subsequently integrated lateral-flow strips with a smartphone application. We believe CASSPIT will eliminate our reliance on RT-qPCR by providing comparable sensitivity and will be a step toward establishing nucleic acid-based point-of-care (POC) testing for COVID-19.
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Front Cell Infect Microbiol · Jan 2021
SARS-CoV-2-Indigenous Microbiota Nexus: Does Gut Microbiota Contribute to Inflammation and Disease Severity in COVID-19?
Gut microbiome alterations may play a paramount role in determining the clinical outcome of clinical COVID-19 with underlying comorbid conditions like T2D, cardiovascular disorders, obesity, etc. Research is warranted to manipulate the profile of gut microbiota in COVID-19 by employing combinatorial approaches such as the use of prebiotics, probiotics and symbiotics. ⋯ Novel and targeted interventions by manipulating gut microbiota indeed represent a promising therapeutic approach against COVID-19 immunopathogenesis and associated co-morbidities. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 on host innate immune responses associated with gut microbiome profiling is likely to contribute to the development of key strategies for application and has seldom been attempted, especially in the context of symptomatic as well as asymptomatic COVID-19 disease.