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Review

The Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and the Role of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for Management of Infections

by
Mohamed Moubarak
1,†,
Keneth Iceland Kasozi
2,3,*,†,
Helal F. Hetta
4,
Hazem M. Shaheen
1,
Abdur Rauf
5,
Hayder M. Al-kuraishy
6,
Safaa Qusti
7,
Eida M. Alshammari
8,
Emmanuel Tiyo Ayikobua
9,
Fred Ssempijja
10,†,
Adam Moyosore Afodun
11,
Ritah Kenganzi
12,
Ibe Michael Usman
10,
Juma John Ochieng
10,
Lawrence Obado Osuwat
9,
Kevin Matama
13,
Ali I. Al-Gareeb
14,
Emmanuel Kairania
11,
Monica Musenero
15,
Susan Christina Welburn
2,16,* and
Gaber El-Saber Batiha
1,*add Show full author list remove Hide full author list
1
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
2
Infection Medicine, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
3
School of Medicine, Kabale University, Kabale P.O. Box 317, Uganda
4
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt
5
Department of Chemistry, University of Swabi, Swabi 23561, Pakistan
6
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriyia University, P.O. Box 14022 Baghdad, Iraq
7
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
8
Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 2440, Saudi Arabia
9
School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti P.O. Box 211, Uganda
10
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
11
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Busitema University, Tororo P.O. Box 236, Uganda
12
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
13
School of Pharmacy, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
14
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Medicine, College of Medicine Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad P.O. Box 14022, Iraq
15
Ministry of Science Technology and Innovations, Government of Uganda, Kampala P.O. Box 7466, Uganda
16
Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Joint Institute, Zhejiang University, International Campus, 718 East Haizhou Road, Haining 314400, China
 
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*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Equal first authors.
Life 2021, 11(8), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/life11080734
Submission received: 30 May 2021 / Revised: 19 July 2021 / Accepted: 20 July 2021 / Published: 23 July 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neutralizing-Antibody-Based Treatments for COVID-19: Achievements and Lessons Learnt for Future Pandemics)
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Abstract

Novel therapies for the treatment of COVID-19 are continuing to emerge as the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic progresses. PCR remains the standard benchmark for initial diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, while advances in immunological profiling are guiding clinical treatment. The SARS-Cov-2 virus has undergone multiple mutations since its emergence in 2019, resulting in changes in virulence that have impacted on disease severity globally. The emergence of more virulent variants of SARS-Cov-2 remains challenging for effective disease control during this pandemic. Major variants identified to date include B.1.1.7, B.1.351; P.1; B.1.617.2; B.1.427; P.2; P.3; B.1.525; and C.37. Globally, large unvaccinated populations increase the risk of more and more variants arising. With successive waves of COVID-19 emerging, strategies that mitigate against community transmission need to be implemented, including increased vaccination coverage. For treatment, convalescent plasma therapy, successfully deployed during recent Ebola outbreaks and for H1N1 influenza, can increase survival rates and improve host responses to viral challenge. Convalescent plasma is rich with cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, and IL-8), CCL2, and TNFα, neutralizing antibodies, and clotting factors essential for the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical trials can inform and guide treatment policy, leading to mainstream adoption of convalescent therapy. This review examines the limited number of clinical trials published, to date that have deployed this therapy and explores clinical trials in progress for the treatment of COVID-19.
Keywords: coronavirus; COVID-19 therapy; COVID-19 vaccine; COVID-19 convalescent therapy; SARS-CoV-2 infection; human antibodies; variants of concern; Ebola coronavirus; COVID-19 therapy; COVID-19 vaccine; COVID-19 convalescent therapy; SARS-CoV-2 infection; human antibodies; variants of concern; Ebola

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Moubarak, M.; Kasozi, K.I.; Hetta, H.F.; Shaheen, H.M.; Rauf, A.; Al-kuraishy, H.M.; Qusti, S.; Alshammari, E.M.; Ayikobua, E.T.; Ssempijja, F.; et al. The Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and the Role of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for Management of Infections. Life 2021, 11, 734. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11080734

AMA Style

Moubarak M, Kasozi KI, Hetta HF, Shaheen HM, Rauf A, Al-kuraishy HM, Qusti S, Alshammari EM, Ayikobua ET, Ssempijja F, et al. The Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and the Role of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for Management of Infections. Life. 2021; 11(8):734. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11080734

Chicago/Turabian Style

Moubarak, Mohamed, Keneth Iceland Kasozi, Helal F. Hetta, Hazem M. Shaheen, Abdur Rauf, Hayder M. Al-kuraishy, Safaa Qusti, Eida M. Alshammari, Emmanuel Tiyo Ayikobua, Fred Ssempijja, and et al. 2021. "The Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and the Role of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for Management of Infections" Life 11, no. 8: 734. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11080734

APA Style

Moubarak, M., Kasozi, K. I., Hetta, H. F., Shaheen, H. M., Rauf, A., Al-kuraishy, H. M., Qusti, S., Alshammari, E. M., Ayikobua, E. T., Ssempijja, F., Afodun, A. M., Kenganzi, R., Usman, I. M., Ochieng, J. J., Osuwat, L. O., Matama, K., Al-Gareeb, A. I., Kairania, E., Musenero, M., ... Batiha, G. E.-S. (2021). The Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and the Role of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for Management of Infections. Life, 11(8), 734. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11080734

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