AIRBORNE transmission of respiratory VIRUSES
(in few graphs, layman terms)
"In contrast to droplets, aerosols can linger in air for hours and travel beyond 1 to 2 m from the infected individual who exhales them, causing new infections at both short and long ranges."
2) "Phases involved in the airborne transmission of virus-laden aerosols include (i) generation and exhalation; (ii) transport; and (iii) inhalation, deposition, and infection."
3) "The behavior and fate of virus-laden aerosols are inherently governed by their characteristic properties, including physical size, viral load, infectivity, other chemical components in the aerosol, electrostatic charge, pH, and the air-liquid interfacial properties"
3) "How long can aerosols linger in air?
For example, the time required for an aerosol of 100, 5, or 1 μm to fall to the ground (or surfaces) from a height of 1.5 m is 5 s, 33 min, or 12.2 hours, respectively."
4) "The movement of aerosols is more strongly influenced by airflow direction and pattern, type of ventilation, and air filtration and disinfection"
5) "Small aerosols tend to deposit in the tracheobronchial and alveolar regions on the basis of gravitational sedimentation and Brownian diffusion."
2) Viruses are constantly evolving to evade the immune defenses of their hosts. This is especially true for coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2, which can infect a wide range of mammals, including humans, cats, dogs, and even bats.
3) Bats are particularly interesting because they can harbor many deadly viruses without getting sick. This is thought to be due to unique features of their immune system. However, the exact mechanisms are not well understood.
How H5N1 affects monkeys to understand the risk to humans ?
The virus was given to the monkeys in three different ways through the nose, directly into the lungs, and through the mouth.
2) Monkeys given the virus directly into their lungs got very sick, with serious lung damage and the virus spreading to other organs. Monkeys given the virus through their nose also got sick, but not as severely.
3) Interestingly, monkeys given the virus through their mouth did not get sick or have the virus spread in their body. This suggests that getting the virus from drinking contaminated dairy products may be less risky than breathing it in.
Uncovering the Intricate Interplay of Respiratory Viruses: How Influenza's Dominance Shapes the Viral Ecology, Disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
2) The key finding of this study is that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the typical seasonal patterns and virus-virus interactions among respiratory viruses.
Prior to COVID-19, the respiratory viruses exhibited distinct seasonal peaks with ...
3) ... influenza and RSV coinciding in winter, and parainfluenza peaking in summer. This suggested complex interplay between the viruses.
Despite an overall decline in respiratory virus infections during the pandemic, coinfection rates remained remarkably stable at around 10%.
▶️HOW the TRANSMISSION BOTTLENECK of SARS-CoV-2 (nb of viruses shed from one host to infect another) AFFECTS VIRAL EVOLUTION?
▶️What ROLE Does DIRECT EXPOSURE Play in VIRUS SHEDDING?
▶️Can the UPPER AIRWAY'S ROLE clarify the IMMUNITY LEVELS needed?
💯💥 science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
2) How the transmission bottleneck affects viral evolution ?
- Wider transmission bottlenecks (more viruses transmitted) can aid viral evolution by:
- Increasing the amount of genetic diversity transferred between hosts
3) - Increasing the probability of mixed-strain infections and recombination
- Allowing more efficient selection of fit variants
- Narrower bottlenecks only transfer limited genetic diversity, making it more likely fit variants fail to transmit due to chance
▶️ UNVACCINATED WITHOUT N ANTIBODIES had the HIGHEST RATE of new Omicron INFECTIONS (56%)
▶️ The N ANTIBODY TEST identified 27.3% of POSITIVE who had NEGATIVE PCR RESULTS
2) The study found that nucleocapsid (N) antibodies were a valuable marker for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections, including many asymptomatic cases missed by PCR testing. 35.2% of PCR or N antibody positive individuals were asymptomatic, and the N antibody test ...
3) ... identified 27.3% of positive HCWs who had negative PCR results.
Potential reasons for the high rate of asymptomatic infections include a genetic basis, with research suggesting the HLA-B*15:01 allele may allow rapid viral clearance before antibody production.
2) This study uses a microfluidic device which provides an important advance over standard COVID-19 tests by directly detecting intact SARS-CoV-2 viral particles, rather than just free viral RNA.
3) The ability to measure whole virus offers insights into active infection and infectivity.
In patient samples, the researchers found detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles persisting for weeks after initial diagnosis.