Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats Halfmann, Peter J; Hatta, Masato; Chiba, Shiho ...
The New England journal of medicine,
08/2020, Volume:
383, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
SARS-CoV-2 was detected in three cats after they were cohoused with cats that had been experimentally inoculated with the virus. Cats may be a silent intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2.
Guidelines from the CDC and the WHO recommend the wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, the protective efficiency of such masks against ...airborne transmission of infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2) droplets/aerosols is unknown. Here, we developed an airborne transmission simulator of infectious SARS-CoV-2-containing droplets/aerosols produced by human respiration and coughs and assessed the transmissibility of the infectious droplets/aerosols and the ability of various types of face masks to block the transmission. We found that cotton masks, surgical masks, and N95 masks all have a protective effect with respect to the transmission of infective droplets/aerosols of SARS-CoV-2 and that the protective efficiency was higher when masks were worn by a virus spreader. Importantly, medical masks (surgical masks and even N95 masks) were not able to completely block the transmission of virus droplets/aerosols even when completely sealed. Our data will help medical workers understand the proper use and performance of masks and determine whether they need additional equipment to protect themselves from infected patients.
Airborne simulation experiments showed that cotton masks, surgical masks, and N95 masks provide some protection from the transmission of infective SARS-CoV-2 droplets/aerosols; however, medical masks (surgical masks and even N95 masks) could not completely block the transmission of virus droplets/aerosols even when sealed.
► The hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza viruses mediates receptor binding. ► Receptor binding specificity is a major determinant of host range restriction. ► Avian influenza viruses do not transmit ...efficiently from human to human. ► Changes in binding specificity are required for cross-species transfer.
Influenza A virus infection begins with the binding of the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein to sialic acid-containing receptors on the surface of the target cell. Avian influenza viruses, including avian H5N1, H7, and H9N2 viruses, can occasionally cross the species barrier and infect humans; however, these viruses do not spread efficiently from person to person, perhaps, partly, owing to differences in the receptor-binding specificities of human and avian influenza viruses. The HAs of avian influenza viruses must adapt to receptors in humans to acquire efficient human-to-human transmissibility. In this review, we discuss the receptor binding specificity of influenza A viruses and its role in interspecies transmission.
Neither bebtelovimab nor any mAb combinations tested neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants BQ.1.1 and XBB, but remdesivir, molnupiravir, and nirmatrelvir were efficacious against both in ...vitro.
In this study, investigators who were evaluating in vitro neutralization of omicron subvariants by monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs found considerable variation among the agents.
The in vitro activity of monoclonal antibodies and antiviral agents was assessed against the sublineages of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern omicron (BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.2). Variable activity of ...the monoclonal antibodies was observed.
Investigators assessed the in vitro activities of seven monoclonal antibodies and three antiviral drugs against Covid-19 variants of concern. All the antibodies showed either no or weak neutralizing ...activity against the omicron variant; two agents that target the RNA polymerase and a protease inhibitor were effective at omicron neutralization.
At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SARS-CoV-2) was detected in Wuhan, China, that spread rapidly around the world, with severe consequences for ...human health and the global economy. Here, we assessed the replicative ability and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 isolates in Syrian hamsters. SARS-CoV-2 isolates replicated efficiently in the lungs of hamsters, causing severe pathological lung lesions following intranasal infection. In addition, microcomputed tomographic imaging revealed severe lung injury that shared characteristics with SARS-CoV-2−infected human lung, including severe, bilateral, peripherally distributed, multilobular ground glass opacity, and regions of lung consolidation. SARS-CoV-2−infected hamsters mounted neutralizing antibody responses and were protected against subsequent rechallenge with SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, passive transfer of convalescent serum to naïve hamsters efficiently suppressed the replication of the virus in the lungs even when the serum was administrated 2 d postinfection of the serum-treated hamsters. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that this Syrian hamster model will be useful for understanding SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and testing vaccines and antiviral drugs.
Although infection by SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus pneumonia disease (COVID-19), is spreading rapidly worldwide, no drug has been shown to be sufficiently effective for treating ...COVID-19. We previously found that nafamostat mesylate, an existing drug used for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), effectively blocked Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) S protein-mediated cell fusion by targeting transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), and inhibited MERS-CoV infection of human lung epithelium-derived Calu-3 cells. Here we established a quantitative fusion assay dependent on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) S protein, angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and TMPRSS2, and found that nafamostat mesylate potently inhibited the fusion while camostat mesylate was about 10-fold less active. Furthermore, nafamostat mesylate blocked SARS-CoV-2 infection of Calu-3 cells with an effective concentration (EC)
around 10 nM, which is below its average blood concentration after intravenous administration through continuous infusion. On the other hand, a significantly higher dose (EC
around 30 mM) was required for VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells, where the TMPRSS2-independent but cathepsin-dependent endosomal infection pathway likely predominates. Together, our study shows that nafamostat mesylate potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 S protein-mediated fusion in a cell fusion assay system and also inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro in a cell-type-dependent manner. These findings, together with accumulated clinical data regarding nafamostat's safety, make it a likely candidate drug to treat COVID-19.
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