Journal of infection in developing countries
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J Infect Dev Ctries · May 2021
Heterologous immunization with Covishield and Pfizer vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 elicits a robust humoral immune response.
Understanding the efficacy and durability of heterologous immunization schedules against SARS-CoV-2 is critical, as supply demands and vaccine choices become significant issues in the global vaccination strategy. Here we characterize the neutralizing antibodies produced in two subjects who received combination immunizations against SARS-CoV-2, first with Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca) vaccine, followed 33 days later with a second dose (booster) shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Serum samples were collected 25 days following the primary vaccination and 13 days after the secondary Pfizer vaccination. ⋯ The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine increased antibody binding to the spike protein and RBD, and approached levels found in the convalescent positive control. Neutralizing antibodies against the VSV-S pseudovirus in the 2 subjects also approached levels in the convalescent sera. These results firmly validate the value of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in boosting immunity following initial Covishield inoculation.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Mar 2021
Multicenter StudyAnalysis of the primary presenting symptoms and hematological findings of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh.
SARS-Cov-2 infection or COVID-19 is a global pandemic. In this manuscript, we investigated the primary symptoms and basic hematological presentations of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the Bangladeshi patients. ⋯ Our study had evaluated a different expression in presenting symptoms of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh. CRP, Prothrombin time, serum ferritin, ESR, SGPT, D-Dimer, erythrocytopenia, and lymphocytopenia can be assessments for diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19 disease. Decrease hemoglobin count (higher in the male) and increased SGPT (higher in female) establish these two markers as a good candidate for diagnostic value against gender.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Mar 2021
A straightforward molecular strategy to retrospectively investigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 VOC202012/01 B.1.1.7 variant.
The spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants represents a serious threat worldwide, thus rapid and cost-effective methods are required for their identification. Since November 2020, the TaqPath COVID-19 assay (Thermo Fisher Scientific) has been used to identify viral strains of the new lineage B.1.1.7, since it fails to detect the S-gene with the ∆69/70 deletion. Here, we proposed S-gene mutations screening with the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 assay (Seegene), another widely used RT-PCR test that targets Sarbecovirus E, SARS-CoV-2 N, and RdRp/S genes. ⋯ This approach enabled us to detect 64 samples with peculiar non-sigmoidal amplification curves. Sequencing a selected group of 4 RNA viral genomes demonstrated that those curves were associated with B.1.1.7 variant strains. Our results strongly suggest that B.1.1.7 variant spread has begun in this area at least since January and imply the potential of these analytical methods to track and characterize the spread of B.1.1.7 strains in those areas where Allplex SARS-CoV-2 datasets have been previously recorded.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Jan 2021
The role of plasma presepsin levels in determining the incidence of septic shock and mortality in patients with sepsis.
The present study aimed to investigate the role of plasma presepsin in the early detection of septic shock and in determining the prognosis and mortality of patients with sepsis. ⋯ The plasma presepsin level was found to be ineffective in determining the incidence of septic shock and mortality in patients with sepsis in the emergency department.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Jan 2021
Novel coronavirus disease-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the residents of Al-Jouf region in Saudi Arabia.
Efforts have been made to contain COVID-19. Human behavior, affected by knowledge and perceptions, may influence the course of disease. ⋯ Residents of Al-Jouf region in Saudi Arabia have satisfactory levels of knowledge, optimistic attitudes, and good practice during the rapid rise period of the pandemic. Awareness campaigns will improve any misbeliefs and risky behaviors.