Effectiveness of Sotrovimab in the Omicron Storm Time: A Case Series.

Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are largely used to prevent the progression of the disease by blocking viral attachment, host cell entry, and infectivity. Sotrovimab, like other available mAbs, has been developed against the receptor binding Domain of the Spike (S) glycoprotein of the virus. Nevertheless, the latest Omicron variant has shown marked mutations within the S gene, thus opening the question of the efficacy of these neutralizing molecules towards this novel variant. In the present observational study, we describe the effects of Sotrovimab in the treatment of 15 fully vaccinated patients, infected by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants, who were selected on the basis of factors widely considered to affect a worse prognosis: immune suppression (n = 12) and/or chronic kidney disease (n = 5) with evidence of interstitial pneumonia in nine patients. The effectiveness of Sotrovimab in the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19 was demonstrated by the regression of symptoms (mean 5.7 days), no need of hospitalisation, improvement of general health conditions and viral clearance within 30 days in all patients. In conclusion, although loss or reduction of mAbs neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant have been described, Sotrovimab has clinically proven to be a safe and useful treatment for patients with high risk of progression to severe COVID-19 infected by Omicron sub-variants.

SARS-CoV-2 Serological and Biomolecular Analyses among Companion Animals in Campania Region (2020-2021).

The first reports of SARS-CoV-2 among domestic and wild animals, together with the rapid emergence of new variants, have created serious concerns regarding a possible spillback from animal hosts, which could accelerate the evolution of new viral strains. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among both owned and stray pets. A total of 182 dogs and 313 cats were tested for SARS-CoV-2. Specimens collected among owned and stray pets were subjected to RT-PCR and serological examinations. No viral RNA was detected, while anti-N antibodies were observed in six animals (1.3%), one dog (0.8%) and five cats (1.7%). Animals' background revealed that owned cats, living with owners with COVID-19, showed significantly different prevalence compared to stray ones (p = 0.0067), while no difference was found among dogs. Among the seropositive pets, three owned cats also showed moderate neutralizing antibody titers. Pets and other species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection because of the spike affinity towards their ACE2 cellular receptor. Nevertheless, the risk of retransmission remains unclear since pet-to-human transmission has never been described. Due to the virus' high mutation rate, new reservoirs cannot be excluded; thus, it is reasonable to test pets, mostly if living in households affected by COVID-19.