SARS-CoV-2 Disease through Viral Genomic and Receptor Implications: An Overview of Diagnostic and Immunology Breakthroughs

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which is believed to have originated in China towards the end of November 2019, has now spread across the globe, causing a pandemic in 192 countries. The World Health Organization has called it the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Rapid dissemination of the virus occurs mainly through the saliva (Flügge’s droplets) and aerosol, together with nasal and lachrymal passages. The literature associated with the recent advancement in terms of rapid diagnostics and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has thoroughly studied the role of ACE2 receptors and Furin, as well as viral agent access into the host cell and its significant persistence at the level of the oral mucosa, which represents the main access to the virus. The purpose of this review was to underline the processes of SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms and novel breakthroughs in diagnostics and vaccines. Different technologies, such as the RT-PCR molecular test and the antigenic test, have been developed to identify subjects affected by the SARS-CoV-2 in order to improve the tracking of infection geographical diffusion. Novel rapid and highly sensitive diagnostic tests has been proposed for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 to improve the screening capability of suspected contagions. The strengthening of the vaccination campaign represents the most effective means to combat the SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevent severe manifestations of the virus—different classes of vaccines have been developed for this purpose. Further attention on the novel SARS-CoV-2 variant is necessary in order to verify the protection efficacy and virulence reduction of the infective agent in the recent vaccine campaign.

Immunity Profiling of COVID-19 Infection, Dynamic Variations of Lymphocyte Subsets, a Comparative Analysis on Four Different Groups

“…This phenomenon was clearly seen in both PP and NP groups in which, severe T-regs depletion was clinically concomitant with an increase in neutrophils and NK cells within the lungs' interstices and parenchyma. This is a significant pattern often seen within the first days of COVID-19 symptoms onset and confirmed by the presence of bilateral ground-glass opacities by thoracic CT-scan (Table 1, Figure 5) [44,45,[65][66][67][68][69][70]. This condition, widely described, was consistently characterized by the presence of lymphocytic granulomatous, viscous neutrophilic extracellular trap (NET) followed by massive and systemic thromboembolic events often associated with a unique arterial blood gas (ABG) panel, suggestive of reduced gas exchanges characterized by hypoxia and hypocapnia (low O 2 / low CO 2 ) and alkalotic pH.…”

“…It will be a necessary step determining whether these differences are due to the individual's environment, genetic predisposition, or existing comorbidities. This procedure would require the screening for recent contracted viral infections such as TB, HPV, HV, or HBV and non-diagnosed congenital diseases which increase the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection [55,58,[62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70].…”

Immunosuppression as a Hallmark of Critical COVID-19: Prospective Study

“…The significance of the SARS-CoV-2 infection results from the very wide spectrum of organ damage in the course of COVID-19, including not only respiratory and circulatory failure, but also neurological complications [ 2 ]. Novel SARS-CoV-2 tests and the availability of vaccines make the fight against COVID-19 more effective [ 3 ]. Insights into pathophysiology of the SARS-CoV-2 infection might facilitate the use of adjuvant supplements, such as agents improving the function of the immune system against the SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 4 ].…”

Education Technology in Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

“…The COVID-19 mobility while remote working, e-learning, and online platforms started to grow, along with online leisure solutions, such as gaming and video streaming [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. The COVID-19 pandemic debuted in December 2019, and since then, changed the lives of every person around the world [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. During this pandemic, physical distancing measures were imposed, and consequently, the education field had to adapt and transition to online platforms because this type of learning allows participation from all over the world to a meeting, webinar, course, or class [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”