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de Oliveira MI, Aciole MR, Neves PAF, Silva VPOE, Silva MPOE, de Lorena VMB, de Araújo PSR. A stronger antibody response in increased disease severity of SARS-CoV-2. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:17. [PMID: 38166763 PMCID: PMC10762998 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08923-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An assessment of the factors that interfere with serum levels and the persistence of anti-SARs-CoV-2 IgG antibodies is essential in order to estimate the risk of reinfection and to plan vaccination. We analyzed the impact of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the clinical and biological factors regarding the persistence of SARs-CoV-2 anti-spike protein (IgG-S) antibodies at 12 months. METHODS This was an observational, longitudinal study with individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 between August 2020 and June 2021. Peripheral blood samples were collected from volunteers who were hospitalized (SERIOUS COVID-19) and those who required no hospitalization (COVID-19 LIGHT). Samples were grouped according to days after symptom onset: up to 90, between 91 and 180, ≥ 180 days after symptom onset. A semiquantitative test for IgG anti-spike protein S1(IgG-S1) was used. RESULTS We analyzed 238 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19, of whom 87 had been hospitalized and 151 had not. They provided 148 and 220 samples, respectively. Among those hospitalized, males (65.5%), volunteers aged over 60 years (41.1%), comorbidities such as arterial hypertension (67.8%) and diabetes mellitus (37.9%) were most frequent. We observed higher median serum IgG-S1 titers among those who had recovered from COVID-19 and had been hospitalized, at all collection time intervals (p < 0.001). We observed a weak correlation of increasing age with humoral IgG-S1 response (Spearman correlation = 0.298). There was a greater probability of IgG-S1 antibody persistence over time among samples from hospitalized individuals compared to samples from non-hospitalized participants (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION This study has revealed higher titers and a higher probability of the persistence of IgG-S1 in severe cases after SARs-CoV-2 primary infection in unvaccinated recovered patients. Thus, in this study, the severe clinical presentation of COVID-19 was the main factor influencing serum levels and the persistence of IgG-S1 antibodies in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Iglis de Oliveira
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital das Clínicas, Brazilian Company of Hospital Services (EBSERH), Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Melayne Rocha Aciole
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Areias Feitosa Neves
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | | | - Virginia Maria Barros de Lorena
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Department of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz-PE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Paulo Sérgio Ramos de Araújo
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
- Department of Parasitology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz-PE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital das Clínicas, Brazilian Company of Hospital Services (EBSERH), Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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Torres Ortiz A, Kendall M, Storey N, Hatcher J, Dunn H, Roy S, Williams R, Williams C, Goldstein RA, Didelot X, Harris K, Breuer J, Grandjean L. Within-host diversity improves phylogenetic and transmission reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. eLife 2023; 12:e84384. [PMID: 37732733 PMCID: PMC10602588 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate inference of who infected whom in an infectious disease outbreak is critical for the delivery of effective infection prevention and control. The increased resolution of pathogen whole-genome sequencing has significantly improved our ability to infer transmission events. Despite this, transmission inference often remains limited by the lack of genomic variation between the source case and infected contacts. Although within-host genetic diversity is common among a wide variety of pathogens, conventional whole-genome sequencing phylogenetic approaches exclusively use consensus sequences, which consider only the most prevalent nucleotide at each position and therefore fail to capture low-frequency variation within samples. We hypothesized that including within-sample variation in a phylogenetic model would help to identify who infected whom in instances in which this was previously impossible. Using whole-genome sequences from SARS-CoV-2 multi-institutional outbreaks as an example, we show how within-sample diversity is partially maintained among repeated serial samples from the same host, it can transmitted between those cases with known epidemiological links, and how this improves phylogenetic inference and our understanding of who infected whom. Our technique is applicable to other infectious diseases and has immediate clinical utility in infection prevention and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Torres Ortiz
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Michelle Kendall
- Department of Statistics, University of WarwickCoventryUnited Kingdom
| | - Nathaniel Storey
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - James Hatcher
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Helen Dunn
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Sunando Roy
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Xavier Didelot
- Department of Statistics, University of WarwickCoventryUnited Kingdom
| | - Kathryn Harris
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Virology, East & South East London Pathology Partnership, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS TrustLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Judith Breuer
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Louis Grandjean
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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Chang YC, Lee DJ, Wei CLH, Pa CH, Chen CC, Chen HC, Chang YT, Wang HE, Chu P, Lu KC, Wu CC. SARS-CoV-2 versus other minor viral infection on kidney injury in asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients. Virulence 2022; 13:1349-1357. [PMID: 35924838 PMCID: PMC9354764 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2107602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has become a global pandemic since December 2019. Most of the patients are mild or asymptomatic and recovered well as those suffered from other respiratory viruses. SARS-CoV-2 infection is supposed to demonstrate more sequelae. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common among COVID-19 patients and is associated with disease severity and outcomes. Only a few studies focused on a detailed analysis of kidney damage in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Whether any minor viral infection is likely to exhibit similar minor effect on renal function as COVID-19 is still unclear, and the definite pathophysiology of viral invasion is not fully understood. Currently, the proposed mechanisms of AKI include direct effects of virus on kidney, dysregulated immune response, or as a result of multi-organs failure have been proposed. This study will discuss the difference between COVID-19 and other viruses, focusing on proposed mechanisms, biomarkers and whether it matters with clinical significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Chieh Chang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ding-Jie Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ling Helen Wei
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Han Pa
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chou Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsi-Chih Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tien Chang
- School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Han-En Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pauling Chu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Cheng Lu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Chao Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department and Graduate Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
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Ortiz AT, Kendall M, Storey N, Hatcher J, Dunn H, Roy S, Williams R, Williams C, Goldstein RA, Didelot X, Harris K, Breuer J, Grandjean L. Within-host diversity improves phylogenetic and transmission reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.06.07.495142. [PMID: 35702156 PMCID: PMC9196117 DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.07.495142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Accurate inference of who infected whom in an infectious disease outbreak is critical for the delivery of effective infection prevention and control. The increased resolution of pathogen whole-genome sequencing has significantly improved our ability to infer transmission events. Despite this, transmission inference often remains limited by the lack of genomic variation between the source case and infected contacts. Although within-host genetic diversity is common among a wide variety of pathogens, conventional whole-genome sequencing phylogenetic approaches to reconstruct outbreaks exclusively use consensus sequences, which consider only the most prevalent nucleotide at each position and therefore fail to capture low frequency variation within samples. We hypothesized that including within-sample variation in a phylogenetic model would help to identify who infected whom in instances in which this was previously impossible. Using whole-genome sequences from SARS-CoV-2 multi-institutional outbreaks as an example, we show how within-sample diversity is stable among repeated serial samples from the same host, is transmitted between those cases with known epidemiological links, and how this improves phylogenetic inference and our understanding of who infected whom. Our technique is applicable to other infectious diseases and has immediate clinical utility in infection prevention and control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michelle Kendall
- Department of Statistics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL
| | - Nathaniel Storey
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London WC1N 3JH
| | - James Hatcher
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London WC1N 3JH
| | - Helen Dunn
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London WC1N 3JH
| | - Sunando Roy
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Institute of Child Health, UCL, London WC1N 1EH
| | - Rachel Williams
- UCL Genomics, Institute of Child Health, UCL, London WC1N 1EH
| | | | | | - Xavier Didelot
- Department of Statistics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL
| | - Kathryn Harris
- Department of Microbiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London WC1N 3JH
- Department of Virology, East South East London Pathology Partnership, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London E12ES
| | - Judith Breuer
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Institute of Child Health, UCL, London WC1N 1EH
| | - Louis Grandjean
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Institute of Child Health, UCL, London WC1N 1EH
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Trunfio M, Richiardi L, Alladio F, Staffilano E, Longo B, Venuti F, Ghisetti V, Burdino E, Bonora S, Vineis P, Di Perri G, Calcagno A. Determinants of SARS-CoV-2 Contagiousness in Household Contacts of Symptomatic Adult Index Cases. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:829393. [PMID: 35432272 PMCID: PMC9010948 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.829393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Identifying determinants of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in settings of contagion is fundamental to inform containment strategies. We assessed SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold value (Ct) from the first diagnostic nasal-pharyngeal swab of symptomatic index cases and which demographic or clinical characteristics among cases and contacts are associated with transmission risk within households. Methods This is a retrospective prevalence study on secondary SARS-CoV-2 cases (SC) among the household contacts of symptomatic adult index cases randomly sampled from all the SARS-CoV-2-positive diagnostic nasopharyngeal swabs analyzed at our regional referral hospital (Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Turin, Italy) in March, 2020. Index cases underwent a telephone survey to collect their demographic and clinical data and all their household contacts. The Ct value of RdRp gene from the first diagnostic swab of index cases was recorded and index cases were grouped according to Ct tertiles (A < first tertile, first ≤ B ≤ second tertile, C ≥ second tertile). Post hoc analysis was performed in SC as well as contacts that did not undergo SARS-CoV-2 testing but developed compatible signs and symptoms. Non-parametric tests and generalized linear models were run. Results Index (n = 72) and contact (n = 164) median age was 54 (48-63) and 32 (20-56) years, respectively. A total of 60, 50, and 54 subjects were contacts of group A, B, and C index cases, respectively; 35.9% of contacts were SC. Twenty-four further subjects (14.6%) met the criteria for symptom-based likely positive SC. The secondary attack rate was 36.0% (28.6-43.4), assuming a mean incubation period of 5 days and a maximum infectious period of 20 days. SC prevalence differed between Ct groups (53.3% A, 32.0% B, 20.4% C; p < 0.001). No difference in SC was found according to sex, presence of signs/symptoms, and COVID-19 severity of index cases, or according to contacts' sex and number per household. The age of both index cases [aOR 4.52 (1.2-17.0) for 60 vs. ≤45 years old] and contacts [aOR 3.66 (1.3-10.6) for 60 vs. ≤45years old] and the Ct of the index [aOR 0.17 (0.07-0.4) for Ct ≥ 31.8 vs. Ct < 24.4] independently associated with SC risk. Sensitivity analysis including symptoms-based likely positive SC supported all the previous results. Conclusion In confined transmission settings such as households, PCR Ct values may inform on the contagiousness of infected subjects and age may modulate transmission/contagion risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Trunfio
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy,*Correspondence: Mattia Trunfio,
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Alladio
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Staffilano
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Bianca Longo
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Francesco Venuti
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Ghisetti
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisa Burdino
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Stefano Bonora
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanni Di Perri
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Andrea Calcagno
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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6
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Park U, Cho NH. Protective and pathogenic role of humoral responses in COVID-19. J Microbiol 2022; 60:268-275. [PMID: 35235178 PMCID: PMC8890013 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-022-2037-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Since the advent of SARS-CoV-2 in Dec. 2019, the global endeavor to identify the pathogenic mechanism of COVID-19 has been ongoing. Although humoral immunity including neutralizing activity play an important role in protection from the viral pathogen, dysregulated antibody responses may be associated with the pathogenic progression of COVID-19, especially in high-risk individuals. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies acquired by prior infection or vaccination act as immune pressure, driving continuous population turnover by selecting for antibody-escaping mutations. Here, we review accumulating knowledge on the potential role of humoral immune responses in COVID-19, primarily focusing on their beneficial and pathogenic properties. Understanding the multifaceted regulatory mechanisms of humoral responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection can help us to develop more effective therapeutics, as well as protective measures against the ongoing pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uni Park
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Nam-Hyuk Cho
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
- Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
- Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, 13620, Republic of Korea.
- Wide River Institute of Immunology, Seoul National University, Hongcheon, 25159, Republic of Korea.
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Al Kassaa I, El Omari S, Abbas N, Papon N, Drider D, Kassem II, Osman M. High association of COVID-19 severity with poor gut health score in Lebanese patients. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258913. [PMID: 34673813 PMCID: PMC8530309 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions of lives globally. However, the disease has presented more extreme challenges for developing countries that are experiencing economic crises. Studies on COVID-19 symptoms and gut health are scarce and have not fully analyzed possible associations between gut health and disease pathophysiology. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate a potential association between gut health and COVID-19 severity in the Lebanese community, which has been experiencing a severe economic crisis. Methods This cross-sectional study investigated SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive Lebanese patients. Participants were interviewed and gut health, COVID-19 symptoms, and different metrics were analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regression models. Results Analysis of the data showed that 25% of participants were asymptomatic, while an equal proportion experienced severe symptoms, including dyspnea (22.7%), oxygen need (7.5%), and hospitalization (3.1%). The mean age of the participants was 38.3 ±0.8 years, and the majority were males (63.9%), married (68.2%), and currently employed (66.7%). A negative correlation was found between gut health score and COVID-19 symptoms (Kendall’s tau-b = -0.153, P = 0.004); indicating that low gut health was associated with more severe COVID-19 cases. Additionally, participants who reported unhealthy food intake were more likely to experience severe symptoms (Kendall’s tau-b = 0.118, P = 0.049). When all items were taken into consideration, multiple ordinal logistic regression models showed a significant association between COVID-19 symptoms and each of the following variables: working status, flu-like illness episodes, and gut health score. COVID-19 severe symptoms were more common among patients having poor gut health scores (OR:1.31, 95%CI:1.07–1.61; P = 0.008), experiencing more than one episode of flu-like illness per year (OR:2.85, 95%CI:1.58–5.15; P = 0.001), and owning a job (OR:2.00, 95%CI:1.1–3.65; P = 0.023). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study that showed the impact of gut health and exposure to respiratory viruses on COVID-19 severity in Lebanon. These findings can facilitate combating the pandemic in Lebanon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imad Al Kassaa
- Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
- * E-mail: (IAK); , (MO)
| | - Sarah El Omari
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nada Abbas
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nicolas Papon
- Univ Angers, Univ Brest, GEIHP, SFR ICAT, Angers, France
| | - Djamel Drider
- UMR Transfrontalière BioEcoAgro1158, Univ. Lille, INRAE, Univ. Liège, UPJV, YNCREA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, ICV—Institut Charles Viollette, Lille, France
| | - Issmat I. Kassem
- Center for Food Safety and Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA, United States of America
| | - Marwan Osman
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail: (IAK); , (MO)
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Escandón K, Rasmussen AL, Bogoch II, Murray EJ, Escandón K, Popescu SV, Kindrachuk J. COVID-19 false dichotomies and a comprehensive review of the evidence regarding public health, COVID-19 symptomatology, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, mask wearing, and reinfection. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21:710. [PMID: 34315427 PMCID: PMC8314268 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06357-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Scientists across disciplines, policymakers, and journalists have voiced frustration at the unprecedented polarization and misinformation around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Several false dichotomies have been used to polarize debates while oversimplifying complex issues. In this comprehensive narrative review, we deconstruct six common COVID-19 false dichotomies, address the evidence on these topics, identify insights relevant to effective pandemic responses, and highlight knowledge gaps and uncertainties. The topics of this review are: 1) Health and lives vs. economy and livelihoods, 2) Indefinite lockdown vs. unlimited reopening, 3) Symptomatic vs. asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, 4) Droplet vs. aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, 5) Masks for all vs. no masking, and 6) SARS-CoV-2 reinfection vs. no reinfection. We discuss the importance of multidisciplinary integration (health, social, and physical sciences), multilayered approaches to reducing risk ("Emmentaler cheese model"), harm reduction, smart masking, relaxation of interventions, and context-sensitive policymaking for COVID-19 response plans. We also address the challenges in understanding the broad clinical presentation of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. These key issues of science and public health policy have been presented as false dichotomies during the pandemic. However, they are hardly binary, simple, or uniform, and therefore should not be framed as polar extremes. We urge a nuanced understanding of the science and caution against black-or-white messaging, all-or-nothing guidance, and one-size-fits-all approaches. There is a need for meaningful public health communication and science-informed policies that recognize shades of gray, uncertainties, local context, and social determinants of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Escandón
- School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
| | - Angela L Rasmussen
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
- Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Isaac I Bogoch
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Eleanor J Murray
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Karina Escandón
- Department of Anthropology, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Saskia V Popescu
- Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
- Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Jason Kindrachuk
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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