Since its emergence in 1968, H3N2 has undergone a considerable number of mutations. It is, in a way the "Omicron" of HxNx viruses with several types :
- H3N2 HUMAN, which was the main strain this winter 2022/23 with in US (CDC) :
2) H3N2 SWINE, which evolved from H2N2 by antigenic shift, and caused the Hong Kong Flu pandemic of 1968 and 1969 that killed between one and four million people globally.
4) H3N2 CANINE, which was identified in Asia during the 2000s with a mutation that adapted from its avian influenza origins and was recently detected in US.
ENTROPY UNLEASHED:
How Viral Protein Interactions Drive Coronavirus Adaptation in Bats and Humans
Entropy, in a general sense, refers to the level of disorder or randomness in a system. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
2) When we talk about protein interactions and viral behavior, entropy can be viewed as a measure of how complex and varied these interactions are.
In the context of the study about coronavirus interactions in bat and human cells, here's a simplified breakdown.
3) **Complex Interactions**: The study identifies how proteins from the coronavirus interact with host cells (both bats and humans). These interactions can be highly ordered (low entropy) or more chaotic (high entropy).
Patients care most about how COVID-19 affects their health and daily life, including for those with long COVID. Scientists focus on understanding the virus to find better treatments. Both views are important for dealing with the pandemic.
2) I'm bringing up this topic because, after talking so much about the disease, its long-term effects, treatments, and vaccines, many people have forgotten that we are dealing with the most dangerous virus humanity has ever faced.
Organelles provide the possibility for the virus to organize its RNA in PROTECTED structures, concentrate REPLICATION machinery ... nature.com/articles/s4146…
2) ...compartmentalize the replication process, and hide from immune detection.
Figure 1g - The large perinuclear clusters of viral RNA demonstrate how the viral RNA is organized into PROTECTED structures.
2) Figure 3d- The nanoscale puncta of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (nsp12) within and around the viral RNA clusters show the concentration of REPLICATION machinery.
SARS-CoV-2: The VIRUS That MASTERFULLY "ADAPTS" to SPREAD FURTHER !
If you were SARS-CoV-2, you could choose to spread in two ways: you could release a lot of tiny particles into the air to infect many people, or you could release just a few super infectious particles ...
2) ... that are really good at making someone sick.
This study published in Nature shows that some variants of the virus are especially strong, meaning they can infect with fewer particles, making it easier for them to spread quickly! nature.com/articles/s4429…
3) Researchers found that different variants of SARS-CoV-2, like Alpha, Delta, and Omicron, have unique abilities to spread. For instance, the Delta variant was shown to be more infectious, meaning it could spread more easily and required fewer viral particles to cause illness...
CORONAVIRUSES and the BRAIN:
Exploring Hidden Links to Neurological Diseases
Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) include seven types, with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2 being the most contagious and causing severe pandemics.
2) These viruses mainly affect the respiratory system, causing symptoms like cough, fever, and breathing difficulties.
Recent evidence suggests a link between HCoVs and brain disorders.
3) This study looks at how these viruses may be associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It also examines the long-term effects of HCoV infections and on similarities between HCoV proteins and those related to brain diseases.