A higher number of SARS-COV-2 infections in quilombola communities than in the local population in Brazil.

The historical and social vulnerability of quilombola communities in Brazil can make them especially fragile in the face of COVID-19, considering that several individuals have precarious health systems and inadequate access to water. This work aimed to characterize the frequency of SARS-COV-2 infections and the presence of IgM and IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in quilombola populations and their relationship with the presence of risk factors or preexisting chronic diseases in the quilombola communities. We analyzed the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, serological status, comorbidities, and symptoms of 1,994 individuals (478 males and 1,536 females) from 18 Brazilian municipalities in the State of Sergipe of quilombola communities, which were evaluated at different epidemiological weeks, starting at the 32nd (August 6th) and ending at the 40th (October 3rd) epidemiological week.

Challenges in Direct Detection of Flaviviruses: A Review.

Arthropods transmit arboviruses via mosquito and tick bites to humans and other animals. The genus flavivirus, which causes diseases, sequelae, and thousands of deaths, mainly in developing and underdeveloped countries, is among the arboviruses of interest to public health. Given the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, this review analyzes the methods of direct detection of flaviviruses, such as reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification, microfluidics, localized surface plasmon resonance, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and presents the advantages, disadvantages, and detection limits identified in studies reported in the literature for each methodology.

Rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic: A systematic review.

Background: COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health threat and remains a challenge for modern medicine. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 is vital for proper disease and outbreak management. Our review aimed to analyze scientific articles published in the literature addressing the rapid tests available for COVID-19 diagnosis at the first year of the pandemic.

SARS-CoV-2 mutations and where to find them: an perspective of structural changes and antigenicity of the spike protein.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.