scholarly journals Investigating host-virus interaction mechanism and phylogenetic analysis of viral proteins involved in the pathogenesis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261497
Author(s):  
Ahmad Abu Turab Naqvi ◽  
Farah Anjum ◽  
Alaa Shafie ◽  
Sufian Badar ◽  
Abdelbaset Mohamed Elasbali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Interaction Mechanism ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Viral Proteins ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Virus Interaction ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Since the emergence of yellow fever in the Americas and the devastating 1918 influenza pandemic, biologists and clinicians have been drawn to human infecting viruses to understand their mechanisms of infection better and develop effective therapeutics against them. However, the complex molecular and cellular processes that these viruses use to infect and multiply in human cells have been a source of great concern for the scientific community since the discovery of the first human infecting virus. Viral disease outbreaks, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus, have claimed millions of lives and caused significant economic damage worldwide. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of host-virus interaction and the molecular machinery involved in the pathogenesis of some common human viruses. We also performed a phylogenetic analysis of viral proteins involved in host-virus interaction to understand the changes in the sequence organization of these proteins during evolution for various strains of viruses to gain insights into the viral origin’s evolutionary perspectives.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in Newborns and Infants—Low Risk of Severe Disease: Silver Lining or Dark Cloud?

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (08) ◽  
pp. 845-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munmun Rawat ◽  
Praveen Chandrasekharan ◽  
Mark D. Hicar ◽  
Satyan Lakshminrusimha
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dark Cloud ◽  
Symptomatic Infection ◽  
Key Points ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Low Prevalence

One hundred years after the 1918 influenza pandemic, we now face another pandemic with the severe acute respiratory syndrome–novel coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). There is considerable variability in the incidence of infection and severe disease following exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Data from China and the United States suggest a low prevalence of neonates, infants, and children, with those affected not suffering from severe disease. In this article, we speculate different theories why this novel agent is sparing neonates, infants, and young children. The low severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population is associated with a high incidence of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic infection making them efficient carriers. Key Points

scholarly journals Increased frequency of travel in the presence of cross-immunity may act to decrease the chance of a global pandemic

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1775) ◽  
pp. 20180274 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. N. Thompson ◽  
C. P. Thompson ◽  
O. Pelerman ◽  
S. Gupta ◽  
U. Obolski
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Cross Immunity ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
And Control ◽  
Epidemic Forecasting

The high frequency of modern travel has led to concerns about a devastating pandemic since a lethal pathogen strain could spread worldwide quickly. Many historical pandemics have arisen following pathogen evolution to a more virulent form. However, some pathogen strains invoke immune responses that provide partial cross-immunity against infection with related strains. Here, we consider a mathematical model of successive outbreaks of two strains—a low virulence (LV) strain outbreak followed by a high virulence (HV) strain outbreak. Under these circumstances, we investigate the impacts of varying travel rates and cross-immunity on the probability that a major epidemic of the HV strain occurs, and the size of that outbreak. Frequent travel between subpopulations can lead to widespread immunity to the HV strain, driven by exposure to the LV strain. As a result, major epidemics of the HV strain are less likely, and can potentially be smaller, with more connected subpopulations. Cross-immunity may be a factor contributing to the absence of a global pandemic as severe as the 1918 influenza pandemic in the century since. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: approaches and important themes’. This issue is linked with the subsequent theme issue ‘Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: epidemic forecasting and control’.

scholarly journals The Fight Against Enzy: US Libraries During the Influenza Epidemic of 1918

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Lorri Mon
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Influenza Epidemic ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
Time Period ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

In 2020, a pandemic of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus struck worldwide, rapidly becoming the most devastating since the 1918 global influenza pandemic. As librarians confronted entirely new challenges in how to safely manage libraries during the COVID-19 crisis, a common question was, “what happened in libraries during the 1918 influenza pandemic?” This article explores that question through the lens of government documents and news articles of the 1918-1921 time period, seeking to understand what happened then in libraries nationwide, and what we might learn from it today.

scholarly journals The Politics of Pandemic Othering: Putting COVID-19 in Global and Historical Context

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Kim Yi Dionne ◽  
Fulya Felicity Turkmen
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Global Politics ◽  
The Third ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Published Research

Abstract As COVID-19 began to spread around the world, so did reports of discrimination and violence against people from marginalized groups. We argue that in a global politics characterized by racialized inequality, pandemics such as COVID-19 exacerbate the marginalization of already oppressed groups. We review published research on previous pandemics to historicize pandemic othering and blame, and enumerate some of the consequences for politics, policy, and public health. Specifically, we draw on lessons from smallpox outbreaks, the third bubonic plague, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and more recent pandemics, such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Ebola. We also compile reports to document the discrimination and violence targeting marginalized groups early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This article lays bare the continuation of a long history of othering and blame during disease outbreaks and identifies needs for further inquiry to understand the persistence of these pandemic politics.

scholarly journals The parallels between COVID-19 and the Spanish flu of 1918

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 4687
Author(s):  
Markordor Lyngdoh
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The World ◽  
Spanish Flu ◽  
Avian Origin ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. On the other hand, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus hailed by the world health organization as a “once in a century health crisis” which has led to devastating impacts to health and livelihood the world over. The prevailing situation is reminiscent of the Spanish flu where definitive cure is unavailable and the public health measures like quarantine, social distancing, hand hygiene and isolation are the only alternatives. Both these diseases are transmitted through respiratory droplets, highly contagious and target the respiratory organs. The parallels between these two events cannot be denied. The Spanish flu thrived at a time when the knowledge and availability of antivirals and vaccine development were inadequate. This article strives to highlight a little more on these two separate pandemics and observe their similarities as well as their differences.

scholarly journals Disease burden and clinical severity of the first pandemic wave of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Yang ◽  
Xinhua Chen ◽  
Xiaowei Deng ◽  
Zhiyuan Chen ◽  
Hui Gong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Burden ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Medical Consultations ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Data Source ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
2009 Influenza Pandemic

The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in Wuhan, China, where a first wave of intense community transmission was cut short by interventions. Using multiple data source, we estimated the disease burden and clinical severity of COVID-19 by age in Wuhan from December 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. We adjusted estimates for sensitivity of laboratory assays and accounted for prospective community screenings and healthcare seeking behaviors. Rates of symptomatic cases, medical consultations, hospitalizations and deaths were estimated at 796 (95%CI: 703-977), 489 (472-509), 370 (358-384), and 36.2 (35.0-37.3) per 100,000 persons, respectively. The COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan had higher burden than the 2009 influenza pandemic or seasonal influenza, and that clinical severity was similar to that of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Our comparison puts the COVID-19 pandemic into context and could be helpful to guide intervention strategies and preparedness for the potential resurgence of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Genome sequencing and its use in public health responses to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
John-Sebastian Eden
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
1918 Influenza

Human history has been shaped by the heavy burden of infectious disease pandemics. Yet, despite the bitter lessons learned from history, even those in living memory such as the 1918 influenza pandemic and HIV/AIDS epidemic, COVID-19 stands unique in the sudden, immense health and economic impacts to the global human population. While the costs have been great, and the long-term consequences are still being revealed, the urgent need for action has also brought forward rapid developments and innovations to combat COVID-19 and better prepare us for future infectious disease outbreaks. One such area has been the widespread adoption of whole genome sequencing to inform public health responses. Genome sequencing during the COVID-19 pandemic has become key to tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at all scales, to such a degree that terms such as genomics, mutations, variants and clusters are now common vernacular to politicians, health officials and the general public. This article provides a commentary on the genesis and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing, and its critical on-going role in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Long SARS-CoV-2 with Hypoxic Leukoencephalopathy, Cardiocirculatory Arrest and Severe Interstitial Pneumonia: The Role of Timely Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for the Early Diagnosis and Regression of this Dramatic Complication

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Liliana Elena Weimer ◽  
Liliana Elena Weimer ◽  
Cattari G ◽  
Fanales Belasio E ◽  
Binelli A ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interstitial Pneumonia ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
World Health ◽  
Neurological Injury ◽  
New Information ◽  
Human Coronaviruses ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Cardiocirculatory Arrest

In December 2019, a devastated novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the causative agent of the acute atypical cluster of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan, China [1]. In February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the disease COVID-19. Currently, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is of a scale not seen since the 1918 influenza pandemic and has already infected more than 156 million people worldwide and resulted in 3.2 million deaths, and cancer is a major risk factor for death associated with COVID-19. Although the predominant clinical presentation is with respiratory disease, Human coronaviruses exhibit neuroinvasive potential, and the systemic disorders that are the hallmark of COVID-19, such as hypoxia, inflammation, and acquired thrombophilia, may impose a high risk of CNS complications [2]. However, it is not clear which of these complications are consequences of direct neurological injury of SARS-CoV-2 or events secondary to the systemic dysfunctional state. New information about the neurological entities arising in patients with COVID-19 is needed to delineate better the clinical implications of this disease. We report a case of a patient with Hypoxic Leukoencephalopathy after Cardiocirculatory Arrest in patient SARS-CoV-2 and Severe Interstitial Pneumonia.

scholarly journals Disease burden and clinical severity of the first pandemic wave of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Yang ◽  
Xinhua Chen ◽  
Xiaowei Deng ◽  
Zhiyuan Chen ◽  
Hui Gong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Burden ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Medical Consultations ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
2009 Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Pandemic Wave

Abstract The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, where the initial wave of intense community transmissions was cut short by interventions. Using multiple data sources, here we estimate the disease burden and clinical severity by age of COVID-19 in Wuhan from December 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. Our estimates account for the sensitivity of the laboratory assays, prospective community screenings, and healthcare seeking behaviors. Rates of symptomatic cases, medical consultations, hospitalizations and deaths were estimated at 796 (95% CI: 703–977), 489 (472–509), 370 (358–384), and 36.2 (35.0–37.3) per 100,000 persons, respectively. The COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan had a higher burden than the 2009 influenza pandemic or seasonal influenza in terms of hospitalization and mortality rates, and clinical severity was similar to that of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Our comparison puts the COVID-19 pandemic into context and could be helpful to guide intervention strategies and preparedness for the potential resurgence of COVID-19.

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