scholarly journals Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Infection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abdullah Jaber

The typical clinical symptoms of the patients who suffered from the novel viral pneumonia were fever, cough, and myalgia or fatigue with abnormal chest CT, and the less common symptoms were sputum production, headache, hemoptysis, and diarrhea. This new infectious agent is more likely to affect older males to cause severe respiratory diseases. Major risk factors for severe illness and mortality from COVID-19 are age, comorbidities such as: heart disease, hypertension, prior stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and chronic kidney disease and associated with adverse outcomes. Loss of taste and smell preceding the onset of respiratory symptoms has been reported.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Coke ◽  
Brandon Davison ◽  
Niariah Fields ◽  
Jared Fletcher ◽  
Joseph Rollings ◽  
...  

The novel corona virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease it causes, COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease-2019) have had multi-faceted effects on a number of lives on a global scale both directly and indirectly. A growing body of evidence suggest that COVID-19 patients experience several oral health problems such as dry mouth, mucosal blistering, mouth rash, lip necrosis, and loss of taste and smell. Periodontal disease (PD), a severe inflammatory gum disease, may worsen the symptoms associated with COVID-19. Routine dental and periodontal treatment may help decrease the symptoms of COVID-19. PD is more prevalent among patients experiencing metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular risk. Studies have shown that these patients are highly susceptible for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress known to contribute to the development of PD and other metabolic diseases are highly elevated among COVID-19 patients. Periodontal health may help to determine the severity of COVID-19 infection. Accumulating evidence shows that African-Americans (AAs) and vulnerable populations are disproportionately susceptible to PD, metabolic diseases and COVID-19 compared to other ethnicities in the United States. Dentistry and dental healthcare professionals are particularly susceptible to this virus due to the transferability via the oral cavity and the use of aerosol creating instruments that are ubiquitous in this field. In this review, we attempt to provide a comprehensive and updated source of information about SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and the various effects it has had on the dental profession and patients visits to dental clinics. Finally, this review is a valuable resource for the management of oral hygiene and reduction of the severity of infection.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1322
Author(s):  
Ruiming Hu ◽  
Leyi Wang ◽  
Qingyun Liu ◽  
Lin Hua ◽  
Xi Huang ◽  
...  

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an economically significant swine infectious agent. A PRV outbreak took place in China in 2011 with novel virulent variants. Although the association of viral genomic variability with pathogenicity is not fully confirmed, the knowledge concerning PRV genomic diversity and evolution is still limited. Here, we sequenced 54 genomes of novel PRV variants isolated in China from 2012 to 2017. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that China strains and US/Europe strains were classified into two separate genotypes. PRV strains isolated from 2012 to 2017 in China are highly related to each other and genetically close to classic China strains such as Ea, Fa, and SC. RDP analysis revealed 23 recombination events within novel PRV variants, indicating that recombination contributes significantly to the viral evolution. The selection pressure analysis indicated that most ORFs were under evolutionary constraint, and 19 amino acid residue sites in 15 ORFs were identified under positive selection. Additionally, 37 unique mutations were identified in 19 ORFs, which distinguish the novel variants from classic strains. Overall, our study suggested that novel PRV variants might evolve from classical PRV strains through point mutation and recombination mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2020-103724
Author(s):  
Yorck Olaf Schumacher ◽  
Montassar Tabben ◽  
Khalid Hassoun ◽  
Asmaa Al Marwani ◽  
Ibrahim Al Hussein ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe risk of viral transmission associated with contact sports such as football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the infective and immune status of professional football players, team staff and league officials over a truncated football season resumed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates and to investigate the clinical symptoms related to COVID-19 infection in professional football players.MethodsProspective cohort study of 1337 football players, staff and officials during a truncated football season (9 weeks) with a tailored infection control programme based on preventive measures and regular SARS-CoV-2 PCR swab testing (every 3–5 days) combined with serology testing for immunity (every 4 weeks). Clinical symptoms in positive participants were recorded using a 26-item, Likert-Scale-based scoring system.ResultsDuring the study period, 85 subjects returned positive (cycle threshold (cT) ≤30) or reactive (30<cT<40) PCR tests, of which 36 were players. The infection rate was consistent with that of the general population during the same time period. More than half of infected subjects were asymptomatic, and the remaining had only mild symptoms with no one requiring hospitalisation. Symptom severity was associated with lower cT values. Social contacts and family were the most common sources of infection, and no infection could be traced to training or matches. Of the 36 infected players, 15 presented positive serology during the study period.ConclusionFootball played outdoors involving close contact between athletes represents a limited risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe illness when preventive measures are in place.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-11
Author(s):  
Dzmitry Katovich ◽  
Claudia Grun ◽  
Hanna Katovich ◽  
Bastian Hauer ◽  
Thomas Iber ◽  
...  

The present case series study presents the preliminary data of 347 of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positively tested patients in the Mittelbaden hospital, Baden-Baden Bühl, Germany, during the period from March to June 2020. Among the 347 patients, 55% were males. The mean age-wise was 52.5±20.2 years in the overall cohort and 78.9±11.1 years in fatal outcome cases. A total of 120/347 patients (34.6%) required hospitalization, but only 36/347 (10.37%) cases required intensive care. The overall fatality rate was 6.6% (23/347), of which 12 patients were from the intensive care unit. The most frequent clinical symptoms observed were cough (62.5%), hyperthermia (47.8%), rhinorrhea (25.1%), sore throat (23.1%), dyspnea (22.8%), and headache (19.3%). Laboratory data analysis showed no specific findings, but severe laboratory disturbances could predict critical illness. A higher risk of severe illness or lethal outcome in elderly patients with several comorbidities was the most frequent. The fight against COVID-19 infection in Germany seems to be more successful during the first wave than in other countries. The improvement of the healthcare system against infectious outbreaks depends directly on the analysis of regional factors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
Guntari Titik Mulyani ◽  
Sri Hartati ◽  
Yuli Santoso ◽  
Kurnia Kurnia ◽  
Agung Budi Pramono ◽  
...  

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, which is caused by Leptospira interrogans. The incidence of leptospirosis in dogs varies according to region and season, and is considered as emerging infectious diseases in humans. Clinical symptoms of leptospirosis in dogs vary greatly, some dogs are asymptomatic, with mild symptoms, and others progress to severe illness until death. The study aims to determine cases of canine leptospirosis in Yogyakarta, and identify the serovar that infect them. A total of 20 dogs without symptoms, with mild symptoms, to severe symptoms of leptospirosis were collected their serum and further tested using Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) conducted at the Center for Veterinary Research (BBLitvet) Bogor. History of vaccination is recorded as a consideration in interpreting the MAT results. The results showed that three out of the 20 samples were positive leptospirosis. Of the three positive samples, one was identified as serovar bataviae, another one as serovar bataviae and tarrasovi, and the last as serovar bataviae, tarrasovi, ichterohaemorrhagiae, canicola, celledoni, pyrogenes, cynopteri, and rachmati, respectively. The three dogs with leptospirosis showed similar clinical symptoms i.e. Anorexia, lethargy, and fever. It can be concluded that there are cases of canine leptospirosis in Yogyakarta which is predominantly caused by Leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae. ABSTRAK Leptospirosis adalah penyakit zoonosis, yang disebabkan oleh Leptospira interrogans. Kejadian leptospirosis pada anjing bervariasi menurut wilayah dan musim, dan dianggap sebagai penyakit menular yang muncul pada manusia. Gejala klinis leptospirosis pada anjing sangat bervariasi, beberapa anjing tanpa menunjukkan gejala, dengan gejala ringan, dan yang lain melanjut menjadi penyakit yang parah sampai kematian. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kasus leptospirosis pada anjing di Propinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, dan mengidentifikasi serovar yang menginfeksinya. Sebanyak 20 ekor anjing tanpa gejala, dengan gejala ringan, sampai gejala parah leptospirosis diambil serumnya guna pemeriksaan Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) yang dilaksanakan di Balai Besar Penelitian Veteriner (BBLitvet), Bogor. Sejarah vaksinasi dicatat sebagai bahan pertimbangan dalam menginterpretasi hasil pemeriksaan MAT. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tiga dari 20 sampel positif leptospirosis. Satu sampel positif terhadap serovar Bataviae, satu sampel positif terhadap serovar Bataviae dan Tarrasovi, dan satu sampel lagi positif terhadap serovar Bataviae, Tarrasovi, Ichterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Celledoni, Pyrogenes, Cynopteri, dan Rachmati. Anjing yang positif leptospirosis menunjukkan gejala klinis yang sama berupa anoreksia, kelemahan, dan demam. Dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat kasus leptospirosis pada anjing di Yogyakarta yang penyebabnya dominan oleh Leptospira interrogans serovar Bataviae.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Speranza ◽  
Ignacio Caballero ◽  
Anna N. Honko ◽  
Joshua C. Johnson ◽  
J. Kyle Bohannon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Outbreaks of filoviruses, such as those caused by the Ebola (EBOV) and Marburg (MARV) virus, are difficult to detect and control. The initial clinical symptoms of these diseases are nonspecific and can mimic other endemic pathogens. This makes confident diagnosis based on clinical symptoms alone impossible. Molecular diagnostics for these diseases that rely on the detection of viral RNA in the blood are only effective after significant disease progression. As an approach to identify these infections earlier in the disease course, we tested the effectiveness of viral RNA detection combined with an assessment of sentinel host mRNAs that are upregulated following filovirus infection. RNAseq analysis of EBOV-infected nonhuman primates identified host RNAs that are upregulated at early stages of infection. NanoString probes that recognized these host-response RNAs were combined with probes that recognized viral RNA and were used to classify viral infection both prior to viremia and postviremia. This approach was highly successful at identifying samples from nonhuman primate subjects and correctly distinguished the causative agent in a previremic stage in 10 EBOV and 5 MARV samples. This work suggests that unified host response/viral fingerprint assays can enable diagnosis of disease earlier than testing for viral nucleic acid alone, which could decrease transmission events and increase therapeutic effectiveness. IMPORTANCE Current molecular tests that identify infection with high-consequence viruses such as Ebola virus and Marburg virus are based on the detection of virus material in the blood. These viruses do not undergo significant early replication in the blood and, instead, replicate in organs such as the liver and spleen. Thus, virus begins to accumulate in the blood only after significant replication has already occurred in those organs, making viremia an indicator of infection only after initial stages have become established. Here, we show that a multianalyte assay can correctly identify the infectious agent in nonhuman primates (NHPs) prior to viremia through tracking host infection response transcripts. This illustrates that a single-tube, sample-to-answer format assay could be used to advance the time at which the type of infection can be determined and thereby improve outcomes.


BJGP Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. BJGPO.2021.0141
Author(s):  
Anna Ruiz-Comellas ◽  
Pere Roura Poch ◽  
Glòria Sauch Valmaña ◽  
Víctor Guadalupe-Fernández ◽  
Jacobo Mendioroz Peña ◽  
...  

Backgroundamong the manifestations of COVID-19 are Taste and Smell Disorders (TSDs).AimThe aim of the study is to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of TSDs and other associated symptoms to estimate predictive values for determining SARS-CoV-2 infection.Design and settingRetrospective observational study.Methodsa study of the sensitivity and specificity of TSDs has been carried out using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 as the Gold Standard value. Logistic regressions adjusted for age and sex were performed to identify additional symptoms that might be associated with COVID-19.Resultsthe results are based on 226 healthcare workers with clinical symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, 116 with positive PCR and 111 with negative PCR. TSDs had an OR of 12.43 (CI 0.95 6.33–26.19), sensitivity 60.34% and specificity 89.09%. In the logistic regression model, the association of TSD, fever or low-grade fever, shivering, dyspnoea, arthralgia and myalgia obtained an area under the curve of 85.7% (CI 0.95: 80.7 % - 90.7 %), sensitivity 82.8 %, specificity 80% and positive predictive values 81.4% and negative 81.5%.ConclusionsTSDs are a strong predictor of COVID-19. The association of TSD, fever, low-grade fever or shivering, dyspnoea, arthralgia and myalgia correctly predicts 85.7% of the results of the COVID-19 test.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoqun Ma ◽  
Dingyuan Tu ◽  
Jiawei Gu ◽  
Qiang Xu ◽  
Pan Hou ◽  
...  

Objective: Cardiac injury is detected in numerous patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has been demonstrated to be closely related to poor outcomes. However, an optimal cardiac biomarker for predicting COVID-19 prognosis has not been identified.Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for published articles between December 1, 2019 and September 8, 2021. Eligible studies that examined the anomalies of different cardiac biomarkers in patients with COVID-19 were included. The prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) were extracted. Summary estimates and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were obtained through meta-analyses.Results: A total of 63 studies, with 64,319 patients with COVID-19, were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The prevalence of elevated cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and myoglobin (Mb) in the general population with COVID-19 was 22.9 (19–27%) and 13.5% (10.6–16.4%), respectively. However, the presence of elevated Mb was more common than elevated cTnI in patients with severe COVID-19 [37.7 (23.3–52.1%) vs.30.7% (24.7–37.1%)]. Moreover, compared with cTnI, the elevation of Mb also demonstrated tendency of higher correlation with case-severity rate (Mb, r = 13.9 vs. cTnI, r = 3.93) and case-fatality rate (Mb, r = 15.42 vs. cTnI, r = 3.04). Notably, elevated Mb level was also associated with higher odds of severe illness [Mb, OR = 13.75 (10.2–18.54) vs. cTnI, OR = 7.06 (3.94–12.65)] and mortality [Mb, OR = 13.49 (9.3–19.58) vs. cTnI, OR = 7.75 (4.4–13.66)] than cTnI.Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 and elevated Mb levels are at significantly higher risk of severe disease and mortality. Elevation of Mb may serve as a marker for predicting COVID-19-related adverse outcomes.Prospero Registration Number:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020175133, CRD42020175133.


Author(s):  
Yu Lei ◽  
Xiaobo Huang ◽  
Bamu SiLang ◽  
YunPing Lan ◽  
Jianli Lu ◽  
...  

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has rapidly spread throughout China, but the clinical characteristics of Tibetan patients living in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau are unknown. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics of these patients. We included 67 Tibetan patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of clinical symptoms at admission, with 31 and 36 patients in the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups, respectively. The epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics were extracted and analysed. No patient had a history of exposure to COVID-19 patients from Wuhan or had travelled to Wuhan. The mean age of Tibetan patients was 39.3 years and 59% of the patients were male. Seven patients presented with fever on admission and lymphocytopenia was present in 20 patients. 47 patients had abnormal chest CTs at admission instead of stating that 20 were unchanged. Lactate dehydrogenase levels were increased in 31 patients. Seven patients progressed to severe COVID-19; however, after treatment, their condition was stable. No patients died. Of the 36 asymptomatic patients, the mean age was younger than the symptomatic group (34.4±17.3vs 44.9±18.1 years, P=0.02). Lymphocyte count and prealbumin levels were higher in the asymptomatic group than the group with clinical symptoms (1.6±0.5 vs 1.3±0.6 and 241.8±68.2 vs 191.9±60.3, respectively; P<0.05). Imported cases of COVID-19 in Tibetan patients were generally mild in this high-altitude area. Absence of fever or radiologic abnormalities on initial presentation were common.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-39
Author(s):  
Ferhan Kerget ◽  
Buğra Kerget ◽  
Alperen Aksakal ◽  
Abdullah Osman Koçak

Background: SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) pandemic which was firstly identified in Wuhan/China in December 2019.There still exists no precise treatment for this pandemic yet despite many agents are tried in prophylaxis and treatment for Covid-19. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of 2-aticyto complex in clinical course in these patients. Materials and Methods: 150 patients who applied to the Infection Diseases Polyclinics between dates September 2020-November 2020 having diagnosed with Covid-19 were included in our study. The patients were randomized into 2 groups (75 in each group) of which the first group only had the treatment of National Guideline and the second group had Viruthol® including 2-aticyto complex (at the dose of 27000 mcg/day) in addition to the treatment of the National Guideline. The laboratory parameters, clinical outcomes and the first day on which PCR result turned into negative of the patients were compared. Results: In Viruthol® group, LDH, CRP, D-Dimer and ferritin levels were significantly decreased compared to the control group, while lymphocyte levels were higher. (p=0.02, p=0.001, p=0.01, p=0.02, p=0,001 respectively).  In addition to that, clinical symptoms such as fever, headache, weakness, loss of taste and smell and muscle-joint pain recovered more rapidly in contrast with the control group (p=0.001, p=0.05, p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively). PCR results of the Viruthol® group turned negative in a statistically significant shorter period of time with respect to the control group (p=0.001). Conclusion: Viruthol® containing 2-aticyto complex may be an agent that can be used both symptomatic treatment and improving the clinical situation and recovery of the patients followed up for Covid-19.


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