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Microorganisms
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Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Third Edition
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Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Third Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Virology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 1242

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Carlo Contini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
Interests: SARS-CoV-2 infection; opportunistic infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue, “Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Infection”.

More than a year has passed since the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 entered our lives, causing worldwide grief and economic devastation in the form of COVID-19. The virus made a species jump (spillover) from an animal (bat) to man, and, in a short time through sequential waves, has caused an uncontrolled epidemic that has resulted in 295 million cases worldwide and almost 6 million deaths to date—an apocalyptic scenario caused by a highly contagious disease, which sees governments and experts of all medical disciplines committed to facing a common enemy that continues to claim thousands of victims around the world.

COVID-19 is multifaceted, with a variety of clinical expressions from mild or moderate symptoms that generally heal without the need for any treatment to more severe and devastating effects, especially in unvaccinated patients over 60 or those who are frail or have other coexisting diseases. It can also seriously affect children, in whom the virus can cause a deadly disease: multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which is particularly perilous to the pediatric age group. Moreover, long COVID syndrome is becoming increasingly recognized as a new clinical entity in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In the therapeutic field, there is still no definitive curative drug; however, monoclonal antibodies are available and new antivirals will soon be commercialized. Several currently available vaccines were manufactured in just 18 months, a unique event in the history of highly prevalent infectious diseases that have plagued humanity. The positive effects of the vaccination campaign are being seen in many parts of the world, with a reduction in admissions to intensive care units and overall mortality. However, the disappearance of this new infection is still far from being a reality, as it is also threatened by the presence of numerous viral variants that could compromise the efficacy of the vaccine, especially when there are segments of the population not yet immunized.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to focus on the main biological, epidemiological, and clinical aspects of the virus, but, above all, on therapeutic and preventive aspects in light of newly acquired knowledge.

Prof. Dr. Carlo Contini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19
  • spillover
  • epidemiology and pathogenesis
  • clinical presentation
  • advanced diagnosis
  • therapeutics
  • vaccines
  • variants
  • long-COVID syndrome
  • opportunistic infections
  • multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)

Published Papers (3 papers)

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12 pages, 712 KiB  
Article
Identifying Mortality Predictors in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Insights from a Single-Center Retrospective Study at a University Hospital
by Ondrej Zahornacky, Alena Rovnakova, Maria Surimova, Stefan Porubcin and Pavol Jarcuska
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12051032 - 20 May 2024
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Abstract
Introduction: The pandemic instigated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to over 7 million deaths globally, primarily attributable to viral pneumonia. Identifying fundamental markers associated with an elevated risk of mortality can aid in the early identification of patients prone to disease progression [...] Read more.
Introduction: The pandemic instigated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to over 7 million deaths globally, primarily attributable to viral pneumonia. Identifying fundamental markers associated with an elevated risk of mortality can aid in the early identification of patients prone to disease progression to a severe state, enabling prompt intervention. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study. Results: In this study, we examined 299 patients admitted to the Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine in Košice, Slovakia, with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were monitored from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021, with the endpoint being discharge from the hospital or death. All patient-related data were retrospectively collected from medical records. This study identified several risk factors significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality, including the requirement of HFNO (p < 0.001), age over 60 years (p < 0.001), Ne/Ly values of >6 (p < 0.001), as well as certain lymphocyte subtypes—CD4+ < 0.2 × 109/L (p = 0.035), CD8+ < 0.2 × 109/L (p < 0.001), and CD19+ < 0.1 × 109/L (p < 0.001)—alongside selected biochemical inflammatory markers—IL-6 > 50 ng/L (p < 0.001) and lactate > 3 mmol/L (p < 0.001). Conclusions: We confirmed that the mentioned risk factors were significantly associated with the death of patients from viral pneumonia in the hospital. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Third Edition)
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15 pages, 1323 KiB  
Article
Interplay of Demographic Influences, Clinical Manifestations, and Longitudinal Profile of Laboratory Parameters in the Progression of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Insights from the Saudi Population
by Sarah Al-Hassinah, Sooad Al-Daihan, Mashael Alahmadi, Sara Alghamdi, Rawabi Almulhim, Dalia Obeid, Yaseen Arabi, Abdulrahman Alswaji, Marwh Aldriwesh and Majed Alghoribi
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12051022 - 18 May 2024
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Abstract
Understanding the factors driving SARS-CoV-2 infection progression and severity is complex due to the dynamic nature of human physiology. Therefore, we aimed to explore the severity risk indicators of SARS-CoV-2 through demographic data, clinical manifestations, and the profile of laboratory parameters. The study [...] Read more.
Understanding the factors driving SARS-CoV-2 infection progression and severity is complex due to the dynamic nature of human physiology. Therefore, we aimed to explore the severity risk indicators of SARS-CoV-2 through demographic data, clinical manifestations, and the profile of laboratory parameters. The study included 175 patients either hospitalized at King Abdulaziz Medical City–Riyadh or placed in quarantine at designated hotels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from June 2020 to April 2021. Hospitalized patients were followed up through the first week of admission. Demographic data, clinical presentations, and laboratory results were retrieved from electronic patient records. Our results revealed that older age (OR: 1.1, CI: [1.1–1.12]; p < 0.0001), male gender (OR: 2.26, CI: [1.0–5.1]; p = 0.047), and blood urea nitrogen level (OR: 2.56, CI: [1.07–6.12]; p = 0.034) were potential predictors of severity level. In conclusion, the study showed that apart from laboratory parameters, age and gender could potentially predict the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the early stages. To our knowledge, this study is the first in Saudi Arabia to explore the longitudinal profile of laboratory parameters among risk factors, shedding light on SARS-CoV-2 infection progression parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Third Edition)
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9 pages, 920 KiB  
Brief Report
Blood Group Variations in COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma and Regular Blood Donors: A Comparative Analysis in the Serbian Population
by Jasmina Grujić, Zorana Budakov-Obradović, Jelena Klašnja, Radovan Dinić, Vladimir Dolinaj, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz and Pavle Banović
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050915 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 501
Abstract
This research explores the association between ABO blood groups and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, analyzing Convalescent COVID-19 plasma (CCP) donors (n = 500) and healthy whole blood donors (BDs) (n = 9678) during the pandemic (1 May 2020 to 30 April [...] Read more.
This research explores the association between ABO blood groups and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, analyzing Convalescent COVID-19 plasma (CCP) donors (n = 500) and healthy whole blood donors (BDs) (n = 9678) during the pandemic (1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021). A comparison is made with pre-pandemic BDs (n = 11,892) from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. Significant differences in blood group distribution are observed, with blood group A individuals being three times more likely to be CCP donors. Conversely, blood groups B, O, and AB are less associated with CCP donation. Notably, blood group O is more prevalent among regular BDs, suggesting potential resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study underscores variations in blood group distribution during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic periods. The findings support previous research indicating a link between blood group antigens and viral susceptibility, including SARS-CoV-2. Understanding these associations has implications for public health strategies, with potential for predicting COVID-19 outcomes and transmission patterns. Further research is crucial to explore molecular and immunological mechanisms, providing valuable insights for targeted preventive strategies and personalized healthcare in managing the impact of COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in SARS-CoV-2 Infection—Third Edition)
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