COVID 19 Special Collection
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Special Collection
Latest COVID-19 Articles
ASM is committed to broadly disseminating research relevant to public health emergencies. This collection highlights all COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 research published across ASM Journals. All content is free to read and available for text and data mining via PubMed Central.
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Research Article
Metagenomic sequencing to detect respiratory viruses in persons under investigation for COVID-19
Broad testing for respiratory viruses among persons under investigation (PUIs) for SARS-CoV-2 has been performed inconsistently, limiting our understanding of alternative viral infections and co-infections in these patients. RNA metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers an agnostic tool for the detection of both SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA respiratory viruses in PUIs. Herein, we used RNA mNGS to assess the frequencies of alternative viral infections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR negative PUIs (n=30) and viral co-infections in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive PUIs (n=45). mNGS identified all viruses detected by routine clinical testing (Influenza A (N=3), Human metapneumovirus (N=2), Human coronavirus OC43 (N=2) and Human coronavirus HKU1(N=1)). mNGS also identified both co-infections (1, 2.2%) and alternative viral infections (4, 13.3%) that were not detected by routine clinical workup (Respiratory syncytial virus (N=3), Human metapneumovirus (N=1), Human coronavirus NL63 (N=1)). Among SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive PUIs, lower cycle threshold (CT) values correlated with greater SARS-CoV-2 read recovery by mNGS (R2: 0.65, p-value: <0.001). Our results suggest that current broad-spectrum molecular testing algorithms identify most respiratory viral infections among SARS-CoV-2 PUIs, when available and implemented consistently.
Accepted Manuscript Posted 16 October 2020, JCM
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Research Article
COVID-19 serology at population scale: SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses in saliva
SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of an ongoing pandemic that has infected over 36 million and killed over 1 million people. Informed implementation of government public health policies depends on accurate data on SARS-CoV-2 immunity at population scale. We hypothesized that detection of SARS-CoV-2 salivary antibodies could serve as a non-invasive alternative to serological testing for monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 infection and seropositivity at population scale. We developed a multiplex SARS-CoV-2 antibody immunoassay based on Luminex technology that comprised 12 CoV antigens, mostly derived from SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S). Saliva and sera collected from confirmed COVID-19 cases and from the pre-COVID-19 era were tested for IgG, IgA and IgM to the antigen panel. Matched saliva and serum IgG responses (n=28) were significantly correlated. The salivary anti-N IgG response resulted in highest sensitivity (100%), exhibiting a positive response in 24/24 RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases sampled at >14 days post-symptom onset (DPSO), whereas the salivary anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) IgG response yielded 100% specificity. Temporal kinetics of IgG in saliva were consistent with those observed in blood and indicated that most individuals seroconvert around 10 DPSO. Algorithms employing a combination of the IgG response to N and S antigens result in high diagnostic accuracy (100%) as early as 10 DPSO. These results support the use of saliva-based antibody testing as a non-invasive and scalable alternative to blood-based antibody testing.
Accepted Manuscript Posted 16 October 2020, JCM
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Letter to the Editor
Identification of a polymorphism in the N gene of SARS-CoV-2 that adversely impacts detection by RT-PCR
Since April 7, 2020, our COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory (CLIAHUB) has received samples from multiple counties in California — our RT-PCR protocol (1) employs N-gene (NIID_2019-nCov_N_F2/R2ver3/P2 (Japan) (2)) and E-gene (E_Sarbeco_F/R/P1 (Germany) (3)) simplex assays.…
Accepted Manuscript Posted 16 October 2020, JCM
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Research Article
SARS-CoV-2 Is Restricted by Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein despite Preadaptation to the Low-CpG Environment in Humans
Although interferons inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and have been evaluated for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the most effective types and antiviral effectors remain to be defined. Here, we show that IFN-γ is particularly potent in restricting SARS-CoV-2 and in inducing expression of the antiviral factor ZAP in human lung cells. Knockdown experiments revealed that endogenous ZAP significantly restricts SARS-CoV-2. We further show that CpG dinucleotides which are specifically targeted by ZAP are strongly suppressed in the SARS-CoV-2 genome and that the two closest horseshoe bat relatives of SARS-CoV-2 show the lowest genomic CpG content of all coronavirus sequences available from this reservoir host. Nonetheless, both the short and long isoforms of human ZAP reduced SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels, and this activity was conserved in horseshoe bat and pangolin ZAP orthologues. Our findings indicating that type II interferon is particularly efficient against SARS-CoV-2 and that ZAP restricts this pandemic viral pathogen might promote the development of effective immune therapies against COVID-19.
16 October 2020, mBio
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Observation
Decline of Humoral Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Spike in Convalescent Individuals
While waiting for an efficient vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection, alternative approaches to treat or prevent acute COVID-19 are urgently needed. Transfusion of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients is currently being explored; neutralizing activity in convalescent plasma is thought to play a central role in the efficacy of this treatment. Here, we observed that plasma neutralization activity decreased a few weeks after the onset of the symptoms. If neutralizing activity is required for the efficacy of convalescent plasma transfer, our results suggest that convalescent plasma should be recovered rapidly after the donor recovers from active infection.
16 October 2020, mBio