A minireview on nanoparticle-based sensors for detection of coronaviruses

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a class of viruses that cause respiratory tract infections in birds and mammals. Severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome are pathogenic human viruses. The ongoing coronavirus causing a pandemic of COVID-19 is a recently identified virus from this group. The first step in the control of spreading the disease is to detect and quarantine infected subjects. Consequently, the introduction of rapid and reliable detection methods for CoVs is crucial. To date, several methods were reported for the detection of coronaviruses. Nanoparticles play an important role in detection tools, thanks to their high surface-to-volume ratio and exclusive optical property enables the development of susceptible analytical nanoparticle-based sensors. The studies performed on using nanoparticles-based (mainly gold) sensors to detect CoVs in two categories of optical and electrochemical were reviewed here. Details of each reported sensor and its relevant analytical parameters are carefully provided and explained.

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SARS-CoV-2 and Streptococcus pneumoniae Coinfection in a Previously Healthy Child

Case Reports in Pediatrics ◽

10.1155/2021/8907944 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Kimberly C. Vu ◽

Gloria P. Heresi ◽

Michael L. Chang

Keyword(s):

Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Healthy Child ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Bacterial Coinfection ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Viral Respiratory

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. This novel coronavirus has been responsible for a pandemic that continues to devastate nations worldwide. COVID-19, like other viruses, causes pneumonia. However, unlike other viral respiratory tract infections such as influenza, bacterial coinfection in COVID-19 patients has uncommonly been described in adult and pediatric patients. We report a case of Streptococcus pneumoniae and COVID-19 coinfection in a previously healthy 4-year-old child.

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A Systematic Review on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

10.20944/preprints202008.0516.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hira Karim ◽

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Lower Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Transmission Dynamics ◽

World Health ◽

Clinical Aspects ◽

Viral Strain ◽

Health Organization ◽

Tract Infections

Emerging and reemerging pathogens is a global challenge for public health. Recently, a novel coronavirus disease emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province of China, in December 2019. It is named COVID-19 by World Health Organization (WHO). It is known to be caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that affects the lower respiratory tract and manifests as pneumonia in humans. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are structurally more complicated as compared to other RNA viruses. This viral epidemic has led to the deaths of many, including the elderly or those with chronic disease or compromised immunity. Viruses cause infection and diseases in humans of varying degrees, upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) cause common cold while lower respiratory tract infections induce pneumonia, bronchitis, and even severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The costs of COVID-19 are not limited. It equally affects all the medical, sociological, psychological, and economic aspects globally. This is regarded as the third deadly outbreak in the last two decades after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS (2002–2003) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome MERS (2012). Based on the sequence homology of SARS-CoV-2, different animal sources including bats, snakes, and pangolins have been reported as potential carriers of this viral strain. Real-time RT-PCR represents the primary method for the diagnosis of new emerging viral strain SARS-CoV-2. The transmission dynamics suggest that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted from person-to-person through direct contact or coughing, sneezing, and by respiratory droplets. Several anti-viral treatments including lopinavir/ritonavir, remdesivir, chloroquine phosphate, and abidor are also suggested with different recommendations and prescriptions. Protective and preventive strategies as suggested by various health organization i.e. WHO and US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must be adopted by everyone. This review covers the important aspects of novel COVID-19 including characteristics, virology, symptoms, diagnostics, clinical aspects, transmission dynamics, and protective measures of COVID-19.

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The potential application of probiotics and prebiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19

npj Science of Food ◽

10.1038/s41538-020-00078-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Amin N. Olaimat ◽

Iman Aolymat ◽

Murad Al-Holy ◽

Mutamed Ayyash ◽

Mahmoud Abu Ghoush ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

The Novel ◽

Probiotic Supplementation ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Human Immunity ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Tract Infections

Abstract COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This new viral infection was first identified in China in December 2019, and it has subsequently spread globally. The lack of a vaccine or curative treatment for COVID-19 necessitates a focus on other strategies to prevent and treat the infection. Probiotics consist of single or mixed cultures of live microorganisms that can beneficially affect the host by maintaining the intestinal or lung microbiota that play a major role in human health. At present, good scientific evidence exists to support the ability of probiotics to boost human immunity, thereby preventing colonization by pathogens and reducing the incidence and severity of infections. Herein, we present clinical studies of the use of probiotic supplementation to prevent or treat respiratory tract infections. These data lead to promising benefits of probiotics in reducing the risk of COVID-19. Further studies should be conducted to assess the ability of probiotics to combat COVID-19.

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The clinical application of Filmarray respiratory panel in children especially with severe respiratory tract infections

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-05900-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fen Pan ◽

Bingjie Wang ◽

Hong Zhang ◽

Yingying Shi ◽

Qi Xu

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Human Rhinovirus ◽

Detection Methods ◽

Positive Group ◽

Microbiological Methods ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

Tract Infections

Abstract Background Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the common diseases in children and the routine detection methods frequently fail to identify the infectious pathogens especially for viruses. The Filmarray respiratory panel (FARP) can reliably and rapidly identify viruses and bacteria pathogens. This study is to evaluate the performance and clinical significance of FARP in children. Methods Children diagnosed with RTIs in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were enrolled in this study. Nasopharyngeal secretion (NPS) samples of these children were collected and the FARP assay for 17 pathogens and routine microbiological methods were performed. Clinical data of all patients was also collected and evaluated. Results A total of 90 children were enrolled into this study and 58 patients (64.4%) were positive for 13 pathogens by FARP, with 18 being detected positive with multiple-virus (31.3%, 18/58). Human rhinovirus/enterovirus (21.0%%, 17/58) were the predominant pathogen, followed by adenovirus (18.5%). Higher proportions of various pathogens were identified in the infant and toddler (0–2 years) groups with human rhinovirus/enterovirus being mostly virus. Adenovirus were common in the group aged 3–5 years, but only three pathogens including M.pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus were also found in age group (6–14 years). Among 58 FARP positive patients, significant differences were found in antibiotic prescription and use of glucocorticoid between the single-organism-positive group and the multi-organism-positive group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was significant difference in use of anti-virus and usage of glucocorticoid between severe respiratory infections group and non severe respiratory infections group (P < 0.05). Conclusions This study demonstrated that FARP can provide the rapid detection of respiratory virus and atypical bacteria for children, especially with severe respiratory tract infections.

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Preventive Measures during Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Korean Journal of Medicine ◽

10.3904/kjm.2020.95.3.134 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 95 (3) ◽

pp. 134-140

Author(s):

Seong-Ho Choi

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Antiviral Drugs ◽

The Past ◽

Tract Infections

Respiratory tract infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originating from China began in late 2019 and became prevalent worldwide in early 2020. Korea was one of the closest countries to China and was forced to go through this pandemic. In the absence of vaccines or effective antiviral drugs, we have no choice but to re-use the old preventive measures used by humans in the past. In this review, I would like to discuss the preventive measures used in Korea during the pandemic.

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