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In this communication, we report on the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 using wastewater samples in Jefferson County, KY. In February 2021, we analyzed seven wastewater samples for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance. Variants observed in smaller catchment areas, such as neighborhood manhole locations, were not necessarily consistent when compared to associated variant results in downstream treatment plants, suggesting catchment size or population could impact the ability to detect diversity.COVID-19 has proven to be a metabolic disease resulting in adverse outcomes in individuals with diabetes or obesity. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and hyperglycemia suffer from longer hospital stays, higher risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and increased mortality compared to those who do not develop hyperglycemia. Nevertheless, the pathophysiological mechanism(s) of hyperglycemia in COVID-19 remains poorly characterized. Here we show that insulin resistance rather than pancreatic beta cell failure is the prevalent cause of hyperglycemia in COVID-19 patients with ARDS, independent of glucocorticoid treatment. A screen of protein hormones that regulate glucose homeostasis reveals that the insulin sensitizing adipokine adiponectin is reduced in hyperglycemic COVID-19 patients. Hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 also have diminished expression of adiponectin. Together these data suggest that adipose tissue dysfunction may be a driver of insulin resistance and adverse outcomes in acute COVID-19.Measuring the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 can enable the assessment of past infection as well as protective immunity and the risk of reinfection. While neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers are one measure of protection, such assays are challenging to perform at a large scale and the longevity of the SARS-CoV-2 nAb response is not fully understood. Here, we apply a T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing assay that can be performed on a small volume standard blood sample to assess the adaptive T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Samples were collected from a cohort of 302 individuals recovered from COVID-19 up to 6 months after infection. Previously published findings in this cohort showed that two commercially available SARS-CoV-2 serologic assays correlate well with nAb testing. We demonstrate that the magnitude of the SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell response strongly correlates with nAb titer, as well as clinical indicators of disease severity including hospitalization, fever, or difficulty breathing. Whil three antibody assays. These results demonstrate the utility of a TCR-based assay as a scalable, reliable measure of past SARS-CoV-2 infection across a spectrum of disease severity. Additionally, the TCR repertoire may be useful as a surrogate for protective immunity with additive clinical value beyond serologic or nAb testing methods.SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, was first described in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has now spread globally. Ecuador was the second country in South America to confirm cases and Guayaquil was one of the first cities in the world to experience high mortality due to COVID-19. The aim of this study was to describe the lineages circulating throughout the country and to compare the mutations in local variants, to the reference strain. In this work we used the MinION platform (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) to sequence the whole SARS-CoV-2 genomes of 119 patients from all provinces of Ecuador, using the ARTIC network protocols. Our data from lineage assignment of the one hundred and nineteen whole genomes revealed twenty different lineages. All genomes presented differences in the S gene compared to the Wuhan reference strain, being the D614G amino acid replacement the most common change. The B.1.1.119 lineage was the most frequent and was found in several locations in the Coast and Andean region. Three sequences were assigned to the new B.1.1.7 lineage. Our work is an important contribution to the understanding of the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Ecuador and South America.

All 119 genomes showed mutations compared to the reference strain, which could be important to understand the virulence, severity and transmissibility of the virus.Until January 17, three sequences were assigned to the new B.1.1.7 lineage.Our findings suggest that there were at least twenty independent introductions of SARS-CoV-2 to Ecuador.

We report 119 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 across all Ecuadorian provinces, 20 different lineages were found until January 17

, including B.1.1.7.

We report 119 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 across all Ecuadorian provinces, 20 different lineages were found until January 17 th , including B.1.1.7.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has produced a considerable public health burden but the impact that contracting the disease has on mental health is unclear. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gm6001.html In this observational population-based cohort study, we examined longitudinal changes in psychological distress associated with testing positive for COVID-19.

Participants (N = 8,002; Observations = 139,035) were drawn from 23 waves of the Understanding America Study, a nationally representative survey of American adults followed-up every two weeks from April 1 2020 to February 15 2021. Psychological distress was assessed using the standardized total score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4).

Over the course of the study 576 participants reported testing positive for COVID-19. Using regression analysis including individual and time fixed effects we found that psychological distress increased by 0.29 standard deviations (

<.001) during the two-week period when participants first tested positive for COVID-19. Distress levels remaines.SARS-CoV-2 infection has caused a lasting global pandemic costing millions of lives and untold additional costs. Understanding the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 has been one of the main challenges in the past year in order to decipher mechanisms of host responses and interpret disease pathogenesis. Comparatively little is known in regard to how the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 differs from other respiratory infections. In our study, we compare the peripheral blood immune signature from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients to patients hospitalized pre-pandemic with Influenza Virus or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Our in-depth profiling indicates that the immune landscape in patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 is largely similar to patients hospitalized with Flu or RSV. Similarly, serum cytokine and chemokine expression patterns were largely overlapping. Unique to patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who had the most critical clinical disease state were changes in the regulatory T cell (Treg) compartment. A Treg si patients are similar to SARS-CoV-2 patientsSerum cytokine and chemokine expression patterns are largely similar between patients hospitalized with respiratory virus infections, including SARS-CoV-2, versus healthy donorsSARS-CoV-2 patients with the most critical disease displayed unique changes in the Treg compartmentadvances in understanding and treating SARS-CoV-2 could be leveraged for other common respiratory infections.

Diagnostic tests and sample types for SARS-CoV-2 vary in sensitivity across the infection period.

We show that both RTqPCR (from nasal swab and saliva) and the Quidel SARS Sofia FIA rapid antigen tests peak in sensitivity during the period in which live virus can be detected in nasal swabs, but that the sensitivity of RTqPCR tests rises more rapidly in the pre-infectious period. We also use empirical data to estimate the sensitivities of RTqPCR and antigen tests as a function of testing frequency.

RTqPCR tests will be more effective than rapid antigen tests at identifying infected individuals prior to or early during the infectious period and thus for minimizing forward transmission (provided results reporting is timely). All modalities, including rapid antigen tests, showed >94% sensitivity to detect infection if used at least twice per week. Regular surveillance/screening using rapid antigen tests 2-3 times per week can be an effective strategy to achieve high sensitivity (>95%) for identifying infected individuals.

95%) for identifying infected individuals.COVID-19 mortality increases dramatically with age and is also substantially higher among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations in the United States. These two facts introduce tradeoffs because BIPOC populations are younger than white populations. In analyses of California and Minnesota--demographically divergent states--we show that COVID vaccination schedules based solely on age benefit the older white populations at the expense of younger BIPOC populations with higher risk of death from COVID-19. We find that strategies that prioritize high-risk geographic areas for vaccination at all ages better target mortality risk than age-based strategies alone, although they do not always perform as well as direct prioritization of high-risk racial/ethnic groups.

Age-based COVID-19 vaccination prioritizes white people above higher-risk others; geographic prioritization improves equity.

Age-based COVID-19 vaccination prioritizes white people above higher-risk others; geographic prioritization improves equity.COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic in 35% of cases to severe in 20% of patients. Differences in the type and degree of inflammation appear to determine the severity of the disease. Recent reports show an increase in circulating monocytic-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSC) in severe COVID 19, that deplete arginine but are not associated with respiratory complications. Our data shows that differences in the type, function and transcriptome of Granulocytic-MDSC (G-MDSC) may in part explain the severity COVID-19, in particular the association with pulmonary complications. Large infiltrates by Arginase 1 + G-MDSC (Arg + G-MDSC), expressing NOX-1 and NOX-2 (important for production of reactive oxygen species) were found in the lungs of patients who died from COVID-19 complications. Increased circulating Arg + G-MDSC depleted arginine, which impaired T cell receptor and endothelial cell function. Transcriptomic signatures of G-MDSC from patients with different stages of COVID-19, revealed that asymptomatic patients had increased expression of pathways and genes associated with type I interferon (IFN), while patients with severe COVID-19 had increased expression of genes associated with arginase production, and granulocyte degranulation and function. These results suggest that asymptomatic patients develop a protective type I IFN response, while patients with severe COVID-19 have an increased inflammatory response that depletes arginine, impairs T cell and endothelial cell function, and causes extensive pulmonary damage. Therefore, inhibition of arginase-1 and/or replenishment of arginine may be important in preventing/treating severe COVID-19.Children are less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and typically have milder illness courses than adults. We studied the nasopharyngeal microbiomes of 274 children, adolescents, and young adults with SARS-CoV-2 exposure using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We find that higher abundances of Corynebacterium species are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and SARS-CoV-2-associated respiratory symptoms, while higher abundances of Dolosigranulum pigrum are present in SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without respiratory symptoms. We also demonstrate that the abundances of these bacteria are strongly, and independently, associated with age, suggesting that the nasopharyngeal microbiome may be a potentially modifiable mechanism by which age influences SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and severity.

Evaluation of nasopharyngeal microbiome profiles in children, adolescents, and young adults with a SARS-CoV-2-infected close contact identified specific bacterial species that vary in abundance with age and are associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and the presence of SARS-CoV-2-associated respiratory symptoms.