Background: Since the declaration of a new variant of concern (VOC), Omicron, by the World Health Organization in November 2021, a quick spread has been documented worldwide, being the main VOC in the sixth wave in Spain. The Omicron variant has more transmissibility, lower virulence, and less risk of severe disease than previously described VOC. Here we analyze the current wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in liver transplant recipients (LTRs).
Methods: A retrospective observational study of 355 LTRs was conducted in La Rioja and Cantabria regions of Spain. Epidemiological and clinical parameters were gathered on the basis of clinical records and telephone interviews.
Results: In the current wave of infection, a higher number of LTRs have been found to be infected than the sum of the previous 5 waves (30 versus 16 LTRs). Of the 30 infected LTRs, 29 (96.6%) had received 3 vaccine doses (mRNA based), in a median of 93 d (interquartile range, 86-108) before infection. Eight of 30 LTRs (24.0%) were asymptomatic and 21 LTRs (67.8%) were with mild symptoms with a mean duration of 4.6 d (interquartile range, 2.5-7), whereas in the unvaccinated LTRs, the symptoms were fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Moreover, in the sixth wave, intrafamiliar transmission was the main route of infection (17/30; 56.6%), and nosocomial transmission was confirmed in 2 LTRs (6.6%).
Conclusions: In our series, increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant was confirmed, including nosocomial infection, with a lower risk of severe disease in LTRs. These findings could be supported by the universal vaccination of LTRs and less virulence of the Omicron variant.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/TP.0000000000004157 | DOI Listing |
Clin Transplant
January 2025
William J Von Liebig Center for Transplantation and Clinical Regeneration, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Introduction: The incidence of mortality late in the pandemic, particularly after widespread vaccine availability, is not well understood. Herein, we elucidate the effect of this impact of the COVID pandemic as well as risk factors for mortality during it.
Methods: The primary end point was death with a functioning graft with secondary endpoints of mortality rates in subgroups and at different time intervals during the pandemic.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
The continuing emergence of immune evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants and the previous SARS-CoV-1 outbreak collectively underscore the need for broadly protective sarbecovirus vaccines. Targeting the conserved S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 is a particularly promising approach to elicit broad protection. Here, we describe a nanoparticle vaccine displaying multiple copies of the SARS-CoV-1 S2 subunit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
New and more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 have arisen multiple times over the course of the pandemic. Rapidly identifying mutations that affect transmission could improve our understanding of viral biology and highlight new variants that warrant further study. Here we develop a generic, analytical epidemiological model to infer the transmission effects of mutations from genomic surveillance data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Infect Dis J
November 2024
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD.
Background: Following maternal COVID-19 vaccination, the persistence of antibodies in sera and breast milk for mothers and infants is not well characterized. We sought to describe the persistence of antibodies through 2 months after delivery in maternal and infant serum and breast milk following maternal COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and to examine differences by receipt of booster dose during pregnancy or postpartum.
Methods: This is a prospective cohort study with enrollment from July 2021 to January 2022 at 9 US academic sites.
BMJ Paediatr Open
January 2025
Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy can adversely affect maternal and neonatal health, although risks vary depending on the variant of concern (VOC). Omicron, although highly infectious, causes fewer maternal and neonatal complications than earlier VOC, so vaccination may be considered unnecessary in planned pregnancy. Using data from the CRONOS registry, we compared pregnancy outcomes according to VOC and vaccination status.
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