1- Monday Infectious Disease News – 9th August 

1 – Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant

• The B.1.617.2 (delta) variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), has contributed to a surge in cases in India and has now been detected across the globe, including a notable increase in cases in the United Kingdom.
• The effectiveness of the BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccines against this variant has been unclear.
• Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the delta variant as compared with the alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses. Absolute differences in vaccine effectiveness were more marked after the receipt of the first dose. This finding would support efforts to maximize vaccine uptake with two doses among vulnerable populations.

Source: NEJM

2 – How Dangerous Is the Delta Variant (B.1.617.2)?

• To a world that has become weary, yet accustomed to playing defense against SARS-CoV-2, evolution of the Delta variant is both unwelcome and unsurprising. Delta, or B.1.617.2, was first identified in India in Dec. 2020.
• Within a matter of months, this particular variant spread to over 98 countries around the world, becoming the dominant variant in more than a dozen of those countries.
• Data indicate that Delta is 40-60% more transmissible than Alpha and almost twice as transmissible as the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2.
• Furthermore, significantly more viral particles have been found in the airways of patients infected with the Delta variant.
• A Chinese study reported that viral loads in Delta infections were ~1,000 times higher than those in infections caused by other variants.

Source: American Society of Microbiology

3 – 5 Things To Know About the Delta Variant

• For the first time in more than a year, we’re feeling some hope—or at least cautious optimism—that the pandemic could recede to the background.
• But there is still a concern that new mutations of the virus could bring it back, and it might be even stronger.
• A major worry right now is Delta, a highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus strain, which was first identified in India in December.
• Here are five things you need to know about the Delta variant.
• Delta is more contagious than the other virus strains.
• Unvaccinated people are at risk.
• Delta could lead to ‘hyperlocal outbreaks.
• There is still more to learn about Delta.
• Vaccination is the best protection against Delta.

Source: Yale Medicine

4- New regimens of benznidazole monotherapy and in combination with fosravuconazole for treatment of Chagas disease (BENDITA): a phase 2, double-blind, randomised trial

• Current treatment for Chagas disease with the only available drugs, benznidazole or nifurtimox, has substantial limitations, including long treatment duration and safety and tolerability concerns.
• This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of new benznidazole monotherapy regimens and combinations with fosravuconazole, in the treatment of Chagas disease.
• Benznidazole induced effective antiparasitic response, regardless of treatment duration, dose, or combination with fosravuconazole, and was well tolerated in adult patients with chronic Chagas disease.
• Shorter or reduced regimens of benznidazole could substantially improve treatment tolerability and accessibility, but further studies are needed to confirm these results.

Source: The Lancet

5 – Safety and immunogenicity of a recombinant tandem-repeat dimeric RBD-based protein subunit vaccine (ZF2001) against COVID-19 in adults: two randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 and 2 trials

• Although several COVID-19 vaccines have been developed so far, they will not be sufficient to meet the global demand.
• Development of a wider range of vaccines, with different mechanisms of action, could help control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 globally.
• In this study, they developed a protein subunit vaccine against COVID-19 using a dimeric form of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as the antigen.
• They aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine, ZF2001, and determine the appropriate dose and schedule for an efficacy study.
• The protein subunit vaccine ZF2001 appears to be well tolerated and immunogenic.
• The safety and immunogenicity data from the phase 1 and 2 trials support the use of the 25 μg dose in a three-dose schedule in an ongoing phase 3 trial for large-scale evaluation of ZF2001’s safety and efficacy.

Source: The Lancet

6 – Performance and operational feasibility of antigen and antibody rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Cameroon: a clinical, prospective, diagnostic accuracy study

• Real-time PCR is recommended to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• However, PCR availability is restricted in most countries.
• Rapid diagnostic tests are considered acceptable alternatives, but data are lacking on their performance.
• This study assessed the performance of four antibody-based rapid diagnostic tests and one antigen-based rapid diagnostic test for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection in the community.
• Rapid diagnostic tests had good overall sensitivity for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Rapid diagnostic tests could be incorporated into efficient testing algorithms as an alternative to PCR to decrease diagnostic delays and onward viral transmission.

Source: The Lancet

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