SARS-CoV-2

[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] To investigate viral spread, primary human airway epithelial cell cultures were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and host–virus interactions were examined via electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, RNA in situ hybridization, and gene expression analyses.

[PLoS Pathogens] In both model systems, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected mice were resistant to the pathological consequences of secondary SARS-CoV-2 infection, and SARS-CoV-2 infection did not affect Mtb burdens.

[American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine] Researchers characterized the functional SARS-CoV-2 T cell responses in severe versus recovered, mild COVID-19 patients to determine whether differences were detectable.

[Molecular Therapy] Pulmonary viral burden was reduced by anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody treatment, and similar or increased by dexamethasone alone. Dexamethasone exhibited strong anti-inflammatory effects and prevented fulminant disease in a severe disease model.

[Cell Reports] Scientists showed that octogenarians, a high-risk population, mount a sustained SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific IgG antibody response for 15 months following infection.

[Molecular Therapy-Methods & Clinical Development] Investigators showed that these self-amplifying mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines raised potent neutralizing antibody responses in mice against not only the original virus but also the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta variants.