Publications by authors named "Anna Condylios"

Article Synopsis
  • Ongoing research is essential for tracking and understanding the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly as diagnostic testing declines in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • In 2023, collaborations with pathology and genomics teams allowed for the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants in New South Wales through various methods, including viral culture and analysis of immune responses from a large pool of blood donations.
  • Findings indicated that while existing antibodies generally neutralized many variants, specific mutations in emerging strains, particularly JN.1, suggested future challenges in controlling their spread due to enhanced transmissibility.
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Article Synopsis
  • The 2022 RSV epidemic in Sydney resulted in a significant increase in infections among infants, leading to high hospitalization rates and greater health impacts across various demographics.
  • Researchers analyzed the genomic sequences of RSV from 264 infants and assessed the immune response in women of childbearing age to identify contributing factors for the surge.
  • Findings indicated that the rise in cases was not linked to a new RSV strain or immune system changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and research to combat RSV outbreaks and improve treatment strategies.
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Article Synopsis
  • The Omicron variant of COVID-19, which began in 2022, evolved from several lineages (BA.1, BA.2, BA.5) and developed mutations that help it evade neutralizing antibodies.
  • Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of antibody responses by tracking over 420,000 U.S. plasma donors and studying blood samples from vaccinated and recovered individuals, along with testing clinically approved therapies.
  • Findings indicated that antibody responses improved over time, but emerging variants like BQ.1.1 and XBF were increasingly resistant to treatments like Evusheld and Sotrovimab, suggesting that even dominant variants can evade antibodies while maintaining a persistent advantage in spreading.
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Background: Genetically distinct viral variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been recorded since January 2020. The introduction of global vaccine programs has contributed to lower COVID-19 hospitalisation and mortality rates, particularly in developed countries. In late 2021, Omicron BA.

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Critical to facilitating SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care (POC) testing is assurance that viruses present in specimens are inactivated onsite prior to processing. Here, we conducted experiments to determine the virucidal activity of commercially available Viral Transport Mediums (VTMs) to inactivate SARS-CoV-2. Independent testing methods for viral inactivation testing were applied, including a previously described World Health Organization (WHO) protocol, in addition to a buffer exchange method where the virus is physically separated from the VTM post exposure.

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