ABSTRACT
Current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are losing efficacy against emerging variants and may not protect against future novel coronavirus outbreaks, emphasizing the need for more broadly protective vaccines. To inform the development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine, we investigated the presence and specificity of cross-reactive antibodies against the spike (S) proteins of human coronaviruses (hCoV) after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. We found an 11- to 123-fold increase in antibodies binding to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV as well as a 2- to 4-fold difference in antibodies binding to seasonal hCoVs in COVID-19 convalescent sera compared to pre-pandemic healthy donors, with the S2 subdomain of the S protein being the main target for cross-reactivity. In addition, we detected cross-reactive antibodies to all hCoV S proteins after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in macaques and humans, with higher responses for hCoV more closely related to SARS-CoV-2. These findings support the feasibility of and provide guidance for development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Coronavirus/immunology , Cross Reactions/immunology , Healthy Volunteers , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/immunology , Macaca , Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus/immunology , Principal Component Analysis , Protein Domains/immunology , Serum/immunology , Serum/virology , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism , Tetanus Toxoid/immunology , mRNA Vaccines/immunologyABSTRACT
The latest outbreak of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 presents a significant challenge to global public health and has a major impact on clinical microbiology laboratories. In some situations, such as patients in coma condition, the oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal sampling is seldom feasible, and blood sampling could be an alternative. In the current article, a comprehensive literature search has been conducted for detecting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using plasma or serum samples. To date, twenty-six studies have used SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in plasma or serum (RNAaemia) to diagnose COVID-19. The pros and cons are discussed in this article. While the detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral load in respiratory specimens is commonly used to diagnose COVID-19, detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma or serum should not lose sight and it could be considered as an alternative diagnostic approach.
Subject(s)
Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods , Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , RNA, Viral/blood , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , COVID-19 Testing , Coronavirus Infections/blood , Humans , Pandemics , Plasma/virology , Pneumonia, Viral/blood , SARS-CoV-2 , Serum/virology , Viral LoadABSTRACT
The present pandemic caused by the SARS COV-2 coronavirus is still ongoing, although it is registered a slowdown in the spread for new cases. The main environmental route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is through droplets and fomites or surfaces, but there is a potential risk of virus spread also in smaller aerosols during various medical procedures causing airborne transmission. To date, no information is available on the risk of contagion from the peritoneal fluid with which surgeons can come into contact during the abdominal surgery on COVID-19 patients. We have investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the peritoneal cavity of patients affected by COVID-19, intraoperatively and postoperatively. KEY WORDS: Covid-19, Laparotomy, Surgery.