Publications by authors named "May Y Liew"

In a subset of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals treated with the oral antiviral nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, the virus rebounds following treatment. The mechanisms driving this rebound are not well understood. We used a mathematical model to describe the longitudinal viral load dynamics of 51 individuals treated with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, 20 of whom rebounded.

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Despite vaccination and antiviral therapies, immunocompromised individuals are at risk for prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but the immune defects that predispose an individual to persistent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain incompletely understood. In this study, we performed detailed viro-immunologic analyses of a prospective cohort of participants with COVID-19. The median times to nasal viral RNA and culture clearance in individuals with severe immunosuppression due to hematologic malignancy or transplant (S-HT) were 72 and 40 days, respectively, both of which were significantly longer than clearance rates in individuals with severe immunosuppression due to autoimmunity or B cell deficiency (S-A), individuals with nonsevere immunodeficiency, and nonimmunocompromised groups ( < 0.

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Background: Data are conflicting regarding an association between treatment of acute COVID-19 with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (N-R) and virologic rebound (VR).

Objective: To compare the frequency of VR in patients with and without N-R treatment for acute COVID-19.

Design: Observational cohort study.

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Despite vaccination and antiviral therapies, immunocompromised individuals are at risk for prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the immune defects that predispose to persistent COVID-19 remain incompletely understood. In this study, we performed detailed viro-immunologic analyses of a prospective cohort of participants with COVID-19. The median time to nasal viral RNA and culture clearance in the severe hematologic malignancy/transplant group (S-HT) were 72 and 40 days, respectively, which were significantly longer than clearance rates in the severe autoimmune/B-cell deficient (S-A), non-severe, and non-immunocompromised groups (P<0.

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Background: Therapeutically immunosuppressed transplant recipients exhibit attenuated responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines. To elucidate the kinetics and variant cross-protection of vaccine-induced antibodies in this population, we conducted a prospective longitudinal study in heart and lung transplant recipients receiving the SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) 3-dose vaccination series.

Methods: We measured longitudinal serum antibody and neutralization responses against the ancestral and major variants of SARS-CoV-2 in SARS-CoV-2-uninfected lung (n = 18) and heart (n = 17) transplant recipients, non-lung-transplanted patients with cystic fibrosis (n = 7), and healthy controls (n = 12) before, during, and after the primary mRNA vaccination series.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to compare the chances of virologic rebound in COVID-19 patients treated with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir versus those who did not receive treatment, while also evaluating the role of symptoms and resistance mutations post-rebound.
  • - Conducted as an observational cohort study in Boston, participants were ambulatory adults who tested positive for COVID-19, and outcomes were measured based on viral culture results and viral load.
  • - Results showed that 20.8% of those treated with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir experienced virologic rebound, compared to only 1.8% in the untreated group, suggesting a significant association between the treatment and rebound occurrence.
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Article Synopsis
  • Vaccination status (vaccinated vs. unvaccinated) influences protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly Delta and Omicron.
  • Higher viral loads during infection correlate with lower antibody responses, highlighting the relationship between viral exposure and immune response.
  • Convalescent antibody responses vary by variant: vaccinated individuals generally have stronger neutralization against variants, while unvaccinated responses are weaker, with specific differences noted between Delta and Omicron variants.
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We enrolled 7 individuals with recurrent symptoms or antigen test conversion following nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment. High viral loads (median 6.1 log10 copies/mL) were detected after rebound for a median of 17 days after initial diagnosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • There is evidence that the risk of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 varies based on the variant, affecting how well vaccines protect against the virus.
  • Researchers analyzed vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals with Delta or Omicron infections, measuring viral loads and antibodies.
  • Results showed vaccinated individuals had higher neutralizing antibody levels than unvaccinated ones, and responses were variant-specific, with the Delta variant showing weaker responses against BA.2 and Omicron generating broader protection against multiple variants.
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Clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection, including incubation period and transmission rates, distinguish this variant from preceding variants. However, whether the duration of shedding of viable virus differs between omicron and previous variants is not well understood. To characterize how variant and vaccination status impact shedding of viable virus, we serially sampled symptomatic outpatients newly diagnosed with COVID-19.

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