Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Valentina Marziano, Giorgio Guzzetta, Bruna Maria Rondinone, Fabio Boccuni, Flavia Riccardo, Antonino Bella, Piero Poletti, Filippo Trentini, Patrizio Pezzotti, Silvio Brusaferro, Giovanni Rezza, Sergio Iavicoli, Marco Ajelli, Stefano Merler
Summary: After the national lockdown in Italy on March 11, 2020, economic and social activities gradually resumed from May 4 while schools remained closed until September 14. The government's strategy in keeping the reproduction number close to one had a marginal impact on transmission, with reopening of workplaces and educational levels affecting the disease burden differently. It is projected that school reopening in September may lead to a large second wave of COVID-19.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sung Eun Choi, Corneliu Sima, Laura Pesquera Colom, Giang T. Nguyen, William Giannobile
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a surveillance COVID-19 testing program in an academic dental institution. The results showed that implementing an adaptive testing cadence based on individual risk status can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection within the institution. Participation in clinical activities did not pose additional risk compared to other in-person activities.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Christian Hoffmann, Eva Wolf
Summary: The study found that the country-specific case fatality rate of COVID-19 is largely determined by the proportion of older individuals who are diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2. The age distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infections is not uniform, emphasizing the need for detailed demographic data in all analyses on COVID-19 mortality.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Onishi Tatsuki, Honda Naoki, Yasunobu Igarashi
Summary: The past three years have been dedicated to combating COVID-19 and finding optimal solutions to minimize its negative impacts. Different types of testing have been performed, but resource allocation has been controversial. To determine the best testing strategy, a testing-SEIRD model considering testing characteristics and limited resources was developed. Simulations revealed that the infection dynamics show an all-or-none response, and the optimal and worst testing combinations were determined based on resource availability and cost ratio. It was also demonstrated that the testing strategy significantly influenced the cumulative death toll.
Article
Virology
Ji-Ming Chen, Guo-Hui Li, Yu-Fei Ji, Ming-Hui Sun, Huan-Yu Gong, Rui-Xu Chen, Ji-Wang Chen
Summary: Good isolation, disinfection, and maintenance of health can significantly reduce COVID-19 deaths by more than 85% in 2020 and over 99% in 2022, highlighting the importance of effective IDM strategies.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Areg A. Totolian, Viacheslav S. Smirnov, Alexei A. Krasnov, Edward S. Ramsay, Vladimir G. Dedkov, Anna Y. Popova
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between the types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines used in different countries and the COVID-19 incidence proportion. The results showed that the reported cases were strongly correlated with testing coverage and the proportions of vaccine types used. Countries that predominantly used vector and whole-virion vaccines had a significantly lower incidence proportion compared to countries that predominantly used mRNA vaccines.
Article
Immunology
Anne E. Watkins, Eli P. Fenichel, Daniel M. Weinberger, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Doug E. Brackney, Arnau Casanovas-Massana, Melissa Campbell, John Fournier, Santos Bermejo, Rupak Datta, Charles S. Dela Cruz, Shelli F. Farhadian, Akiko Iwasaki, Albert Ko, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Anne L. Wyllie
Summary: Sensitivity of pooling saliva samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing decreases with larger pool sizes, with pools of 5 requiring fewer tests at virus prevalence >2.6% and pools of 20 supporting screening strategies at prevalence <0.6%.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Virology
Chao Wang, Bei Liu, Sihui Zhang, Ninghua Huang, Tianshuo Zhao, Qing-Bin Lu, Fuqiang Cui
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the evolution differences in the incidence and case fatality rate of SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants. The findings suggest that the Omicron variant has a higher incidence but a lower case fatality rate worldwide, mainly due to the decreased pathogenicity caused by the mutation of the virus, while vaccination still plays a valuable role in preventing death.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philippe Lemey, Nick Ruktanonchai, Samuel L. Hong, Vittoria Colizza, Chiara Poletto, Frederik Van den Broeck, Mandev S. Gill, Xiang Ji, Anthony Levasseur, Bas B. Oude Munnink, Marion Koopmans, Adam Sadilek, Shengjie Lai, Andrew J. Tatem, Guy Baele, Marc A. Suchard, Simon Dellicour
Summary: In late summer 2020, more than half of the SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in many European countries resulted from new introductions, and the success in onward transmission of these newly introduced lineages was negatively associated with the local incidence of COVID-19. The widespread dissemination of variants in summer 2020 highlights the threat of viral spread when restrictions are lifted.
Article
Biology
Ewan Colman, Gavrila A. Puspitarani, Jessica Enright, Rowland R. Kao
Summary: The study estimated the rate of case ascertainment using population surveillance data and reported daily case numbers in the United Kingdom. The results showed that 20%-40% of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the UK were ascertained with a positive test. The ascertainment rate varied depending on the time and region, with higher rates for the Alpha variant and lower rates for the wild type variants. The study also found that case ascertainment was higher in adults than in children and that the infection fatality rate increased during the period dominated by the Alpha variant and declined with the distribution of vaccines.
JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carolina Arruabarrena, Mario Damiano Toro, Mehmet Onen, Boris E. Malyugin, Robert Rejdak, Danielle Tognetto, Sandrine Zweifel, Rosa Giglio, Miguel A. Teus
Summary: This retrospective, multicenter study of 546 consecutive patients with nAMD in six European Ophthalmology Departments found that during the lockdown, a significant number of patients did not attend scheduled visits or receive injections, leading to a reduction in injection frequency and a significant decrease in visual acuity at 6 months.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emily Oster
Summary: President-elect Joe Biden needs to coordinate efforts to collect COVID-19 infection data.
Editorial Material
Pediatrics
Walter S. Gilliam, Amyn A. Malik, Mehr Shafiq, Madeline Klotz, Chin Reyes, John Eric Humphries, Thomas Murray, Jad A. Elharake, David Wilkinson, Saad B. Omer
Summary: The study found that exposure to child care in the US during the early months of the pandemic did not increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission to providers. The findings emphasize the importance of infection mitigation efforts in child care programs.
News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mariana Lenharo, Lauren Wolf
Summary: House Republicans initiate an investigation into the origins of the pandemic, with witnesses mostly favoring a lab origin.
Article
Immunology
Sridhar Basavaraju, Monica E. Patton, Kacie Grimm, Mohammed Ata Ur Rasheed, Sandra Lester, Lisa Mills, Megan Stumpf, Brandi Freeman, Azaibi Tamin, Jennifer Harcourt, Jarad Schiffer, Vera Semenova, Han Li, Bailey Alston, Muyiwa Ategbole, Shanna Bolcen, Darbi Boulay, Peter Browning, Li Cronin, Ebenezer David, Rita Desai, Monica Epperson, Yamini Gorantla, Tao Jia, Panagiotis Maniatis, Kimberly Moss, Kristina Ortiz, So Hee Park, Palak Patel, Yunlong Qin, Evelene Steward-Clark, Heather Tatum, Andrew Vogan, Briana Zellner, Jan Drobeniuc, Matthew R. P. Sapiano, Fiona Havers, Carrie Reed, Susan Gerber, Natalie J. Thornburg, Susan L. Stramer
Summary: Residual archived samples from blood donations in the United States showed presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies prior to January 19, 2020, suggesting that the virus might have been introduced into the country earlier than previously thought.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Virology
Antonello Maruotti, Dankmar Bohning, Irene Rocchetti, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: This study aims to estimate the true number of Monkeypox infections in the most affected countries, including both detected and undetected cases. By using a data-driven approach and analyzing the cumulative distribution of weekly cases, the study proposes a lower bound estimator to provide reliable estimates. The findings show that the proportion of undetected cases is relevant in all countries, and the estimated true number of infections in some countries could be more than three times the observed cases.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Virology
Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Gabriele d'Ettorre, Alessandro Russo, Silvia Fabris, Massimo Ciccozzi, Gabriella d'Ettorre
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Antonella Bugatti, Federica Filippini, Serena Messali, Marta Giovanetti, Cosetta Ravelli, Alberto Zani, Massimo Ciccozzi, Arnaldo Caruso, Francesca Caccuri
Summary: Severe COVID-19 is associated with angiogenic features and direct infection of human lung endothelial cells by SARS-CoV-2. The Spike protein of the virus interacts with integrins on lung endothelial cells, promoting a pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic phenotype. Recent mutations in the Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 may result in decreased infection of lung endothelial cells and potentially less severe disease manifestations.
Article
Virology
Serena Messali, Alessandro Rondina, Marta Giovanetti, Carlo Bonfanti, Massimo Ciccozzi, Arnaldo Caruso, Francesca Caccuri
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, consensus genomic sequences were used to monitor the global spread of the virus quickly. However, there was less focus on intrahost genetic diversity. This study shows that intrahost single nucleotide variants (iSNVs) can be used for contact tracing analysis. The research demonstrates that iSNVs can propagate among individuals during the acute phase of infection, and transmission chains can be reconstructed by investigating iSNVs during SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Anielly S. da Silva, Gabriel Montenegro de Campos, Marta Giovanetti, Victoria Simonatto Zucherato, Alex Ranieri Jeronimo Lima, Elaine Vieira Santos, Rodrigo Haddad, Massimo Ciccozzi, Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara, Maria Carolina Elias, Sandra Coccuzzo Sampaio, Dimas Tadeu Covas, Simone Kashima, Svetoslav Nanev Slavov
Summary: In this study, metagenomics was used to identify viral infections among pediatric patients with acute respiratory disease. Two pools of samples were found to contain the little-known Malawi polyomavirus (MWPyV). Further testing revealed that MWPyV-positive samples also tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus. Phylogenetic analysis of MWPyV genome sequences from index samples was conducted, providing insights into its viral origin. This study represents the first molecular and genomic characterization of MWPyV in pediatric patients in South America.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Virology
Francesco Branda, Fabio Scarpa, Massimo Ciccozzi, Antonello Maruotti
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Fabio Scarpa, Ilenia Azzena, Chiara Locci, Marco Casu, Pier Luigi Fiori, Alessandra Ciccozzi, Silvia Angeletti, Elena Imperia, Marta Giovanetti, Antonello Maruotti, Alessandra Borsetti, Roberto Cauda, Antonio Cassone, Allegra Via, Stefano Pascarella, Daria Sanna, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: Since the beginning of the pandemic, new variants have been emerging, and the XBB.1.5 SARS-CoV-2 variant is one of the most recent. This study aimed to assess the potential hazard of this new subvariant using a comprehensive approach that integrates genetic variability, phylodynamics, and structural/immunoinformatic analyses. The findings suggest that XBB.1.5 spreads more slowly compared to previous concerning variants and does not pose a high risk of viral expansion.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Beatrice Perciballi, Alessandro Russo, Paolo Martini, Francesco Marchetti, Marco Rivano Capparuccia, Giancarlo Iaiani, Silvia Fabris, Massimo Ciccozzi, Ciro Villani, Mario Venditti, Gabriella D'Ettorre, Daniele De Meo
Summary: Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and fracture-related infection (FRI) are challenging conditions in high-risk patients. For those not eligible for standard treatment, combination therapy of debridement, long-term antibiotics, and chronic oral antimicrobial suppression (COAS) can be a reasonable option. This study retrospectively analyzed 16 patients who underwent COAS after debridement and antibiotic treatment, with a median follow-up of 15 months. The monitoring of patients included clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, and radiolabeled leukocyte scintigraphy (LS). The results showed that 62.5% of patients had no relapse after cure at the last evaluation, while side effects led to COAS discontinuation in 50% of the patients who experienced a relapse.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Marta Fogolari, Bruno Daniele Leoni, Marina De Cesaris, Rita Italiano, Flavio Davini, Ginevra Azzurra Miccoli, Daniele Donati, Luigi Clerico, Andrea Stanziale, Giovanni Savini, Nicola Petrosillo, Massimo Ciccozzi, Lorenzo Sommella, Elisabetta Riva, Paolo Fazii, Silvia Angeletti
Summary: This study evaluated the neutralizing response to Beta and Omicron variants following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination using a new commercial automated assay and compared it to the gold standard. The results showed that IgG levels decreased during the first ninety days after the vaccine second dose, but significantly increased after the booster dose. There was a correlation between IgG expression and neutralizing activity modulation, with a greater quantity of IgG antibodies needed to neutralize the Omicron variant compared to the Beta variant. The study suggests the usefulness of the PETIA assay for managing SARS-CoV2 infection.
Article
Virology
Marta Giovanetti, Eleonora Cella, Ivan Ivanov, Lyubomira Grigorova, Ivan Stoikov, Deyan Donchev, Reneta Dimitrova, Svetoslav Nanev Slavov, Carla Mavian, Vagner Fonseca, Fabio Scarpa, Alessandra Borsetti, Neli Korsun, Ivelina Trifonova, Veselin Dobrinov, Todor Kantardjiev, Iva Christova, Massimo Ciccozzi, Ivailo Alexiev
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the genomic epidemiology and lineage dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Bulgaria over a three-year period. The findings shed light on the virus evolution, emergence of variants of concern, and their impact on the pandemic trajectory. Understanding the genomic epidemiology is crucial for targeted public health strategies and managing future outbreaks.
Article
Virology
Fabio Scarpa, Liliana Bazzani, Marta Giovanetti, Alessandra Ciccozzi, Francesca Benedetti, Davide Zella, Daria Sanna, Marco Casu, Alessandra Borsetti, Eleonora Cella, Stefano Pascarella, Antonello Maruotti, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic in Africa has strained healthcare systems and intensified the impact of emerging and re-emerging diseases. One notable re-emergence is Marburg virus disease, which further burdens the already fragile healthcare system. This study analyzes the genetic variability of the Marburg virus and advocates for active surveillance to effectively contain potential outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and the wider African context.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sandra Miccinilli, Marco Bravi, Giorgio Conti, Federica Bressi, Silvia Sterzi, Fabio Santacaterina, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on professional soccer players from Serie A and LaLiga to investigate the correlation between SARS-CoV-2 infection and muscle injuries. Players were divided into C+ and C- groups based on their infection status during the 2020/2021 season. The study found that during the 2019-2020 season, both championships showed similar numbers of muscle injuries between C+ and C-, but in the 2020-2021 season, C+ had significantly higher numbers of muscle injuries compared to C- in both championships. Multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that belonging to C+ in the season 2020/2021 was the variable that most strongly influenced the probability of having a muscle injury. Survival analysis revealed a higher risk of muscle injury for players in both championships who had contracted SARS-CoV-2. The study highlights the importance of considering SARS-CoV-2 infection as a real injury and incorporating it into assessment and training programs for athletes.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Liliana Bazzani, Elena Imperia, Fabio Scarpa, Daria Sanna, Marco Casu, Alessandra Borsetti, Stefano Pascarella, Nicola Petrosillo, Eleonora Cella, Marta Giovanetti, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: In early February 2023, the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, known as Kraken, accounted for over 44% of new COVID-19 cases globally, while a newer subvariant named CH.1.1, called Orthrus, accounted for less than 6% of new cases in subsequent weeks. This emerging variant carries a mutation observed in other highly pathogenic and transmissible variants, highlighting the need for active surveillance. Genomic data and molecular modeling were used to understand the global distribution and potential implications of this variant, including increased transmission and potential vaccine resistance. This variant shares common mutations with Omicron-like strains and was found to be already circulating in Europe before its detection, emphasizing the importance of whole genome sequencing for detecting and controlling emerging viral strains.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Elena Imperia, Liliana Bazzani, Fabio Scarpa, Alessandra Borsetti, Nicola Petrosillo, Marta Giovanetti, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: Avian influenza virus poses a significant challenge to poultry production and has negative impacts on the global economy and public health. When the virus is circulating in poultry, there is a risk of sporadic human infections through exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments. The effectiveness of countermeasures, including vaccines and antiviral treatments, is often debated due to resistance to antivirals and the relatively low efficiency of influenza vaccines.
MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Fabio Scarpa, Elena Imperia, Alessandra Ciccozzi, Stefano Pascarella, Miriana Quaranta, Marta Giovanetti, Alessandra Borsetti, Nicola Petrosillo, Massimo Ciccozzi
Summary: Bats are natural reservoirs of coronaviruses, including the viruses that caused the SARS outbreak in 2002 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Two new Sarbecoviruses were discovered in bats in Russia in late 2020, but they are currently not believed to be dangerous or likely to cause spillover events. They have weak interactions with ACE2 and lack furin cleavage sites. This research highlights the importance of assessing the zoonotic potential of batborne coronaviruses to prevent future spillover events.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE REPORTS
(2023)