Challenges of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant and appropriate countermeasures

Shao, Wenyong; Zhang, Weiying; Fang, Xiang; Yu, Daojun; Wang, Xianjun

doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2022.03.007

Cited by 40 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…A study concluded that infection with the Delta variant had been detected in 96 countries worldwide ( 28 ). In addition, a study showed that the Omicron strain is more infectious and transmissible than the former strains because it contains many mutations ( 29 ). The immune-escaping strain has spread widely, making the epidemic more severe and SARS-CoV-2 a common health threat to humans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Pseudorabies Virus Expressing SARS-CoV-2-S and SARS-CoV-2-N

Shao

Xie

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Coronavirus (CoV) is an important pathogen of humans and animals, which can infect humans or animals through the respiratory mucosal route. Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is quite similar to syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) with the same receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The S and N proteins are the most important protective antigens of the SARS-CoV-2. The S protein on the viral membrane mediates the virus attachment with the host cells, and the N protein is the most abundant expression during infection. In this study, the recombinant viruses expressing the S and N proteins of SARS-CoV-2 were successfully constructed by Red/ET recombinant technology using Pseudorabies virus (PRV) strain Bartha-K61 as a vector. Genetic stability and growth kinetics analysis showed that the recombinant viruses rPRV-SARS-CoV-2-S and rPRV-SARS-CoV-2-N had similar genetic stability and proliferation characteristics to the parental PRV. The immunoassay results showed that mice immunized with recombinant viruses could produce total IgG antibodies. Therefore, PRV is feasible and promising as a viral vector to express SARS-CoV-2-S and SARS-CoV-2-N genes. This study can provide a reference for future research on live vector vaccines for domestic animals, pets, and wild animals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Pseudorabies Virus Expressing SARS-CoV-2-S and SARS-CoV-2-N

Shao

Xie

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…Several pediatric patients were hospitalized at our institution due to rhabdomyolysis during the omicron-SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 possesses notable changes in spike proteins compared to the previous alpha and delta variants, resulting in significantly different disease transmissibility, severity, and immune escape [ 15 ]. In this study, we describe the clinical features and outcomes of rhabdomyolysis in pediatric patients with COVID-19 by a retrospective chart review of admissions to Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, an epicenter of COVID-19 in northern Taiwan.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rhabdomyolysis in Pediatric Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Wong

Cheng

et al. 2022

Children

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Background: Rhabdomyolysis is a rare but severe complication in adult patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which can result in acute kidney injury and death; however, it is rarely reported in pediatric patients. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical features and outcomes of rhabdomyolysis in pediatric patients aged 0–18 years with COVID-19 who were hospitalized at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, an epicenter of COVID-19 in northern Taiwan. Results: We treated eight patients with rhabdomyolysis during the omicron variant-Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (omicron variant-SARS-CoV-2) community outbreak and none during the alpha variant endemic. These eight patients shared stereotypical presentations, including the presence of bilateral calf pain after defervescence. The creatinine kinase (CK) levels were between 1346 and 6937 U/L on admission, and clinical course was uneventful after aggressive saline hydration. Conclusion: Rhabdomyolysis is not a rare complication in pediatric patients with the omicron-SARS-CoV-2 infection, and reassurance of a good prognosis is important to alleviate family anxiety.

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“…There is growing evidence that Omicron causes milder symptoms than the earlier variants ( 10 , 11 ). In fact, this could be attributed to the lower intrinsic virulence of Omicron ( 12 ), which does not efficiently spread through cell-cell fusion compared to other variants, thereby limiting viral infection in the lungs ( 13 – 15 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of booster vaccination in the context of Omicron wave

Wei

Wang

et al. 2022

Front. Immunol.

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Omicron (B.1.1.529) was first detected in a sample collected in Botswana on November 11, 2021, and has rapidly replaced Delta as the dominant global variant given the robust transmissibility. Moreover, it displays a lower virulence than other variants. However, the pathogenicity of Omicron appears to be underestimated in view of the increasing levels of herd immunity through natural infection or vaccination. Additionally, the volume of hospitalizations and deaths increase in proportion to the number of cases due to the high transmissibility of Omicron. Therefore, vaccination remains an important public health priority. Notably, a series of important mutations in the Omicron spike protein, especially in the receptor-binding domain and N-terminal domain, appears to be associated with immune escape capacity, reducing the willingness of people to receive vaccines. Herein, we provide an in-depth discussion to assess the effectiveness of the second and third vaccination against Omicron variant. On the one hand, the two-dose vaccination program adopted by many countries is insufficient to prevent Omicron infection given the mutations correlated with immune escape and the decline in vaccine efficacy over time. On the other hand, booster dose significantly increases the protective efficacy against Omicron infection. Most importantly, heterologous third dose vaccination induces a more robust immune response than homologous booster dose. Therefore, under the special background of this pandemic, there is an urgent need to accelerate the third dose of vaccination, especially providing better booster vaccination strategies, to combat emerging Omicron variant.

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Challenges of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant and appropriate countermeasures

Cited by 40 publications

References 46 publications

Construction and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Pseudorabies Virus Expressing SARS-CoV-2-S and SARS-CoV-2-N

Construction and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Pseudorabies Virus Expressing SARS-CoV-2-S and SARS-CoV-2-N

Rhabdomyolysis in Pediatric Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The importance of booster vaccination in the context of Omicron wave

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