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Microorganisms
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Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Infections
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Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Infections

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 5173

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eszter Csoma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei Krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; variants; epidemiology; vaccination; RNA prevalence; seroprevalence; co-infections
Dr. Enikő Fehér

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Veterinary Medical Research Institute, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: virus discovery; metagenomics; genomic epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As we advance into the third year of the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is still difficult to control the spread of infection. Epidemiological research and data analyses are essential to fight against COVID-19. The collection and analysis of data on SARS-CoV-2 infection, its viral variants, the characterization of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, assessment of seroepidemiological data on infection and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, and the development of strategies to control the pandemic are all urgently needed.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions providing descriptive and analytical evaluations of the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 in the form of either an original article or a review paper. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • Transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2;
  • Prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections;
  • Epidemiological characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants;
  • Coinfections with SARS-CoV-2;
  • Spatial and temporal transmission patterns of SARS-CoV-2 infection;
  • Impact of pharmaceutical interventions on SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19;
  • Effect of vaccination;
  • Effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 patients;
  • Determinants of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality;
  • Comorbidities in COVID-19;
  • Seroepidemiology;
  • Impact of differences in testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

We hope that the articles published in this Special Issue will provide valuable scientific data and analysis aiding the scientific, clinical, and public health communities in the fight against COVID-19.

Dr. Eszter Csoma
Dr. Enikő Fehér
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19
  • variants
  • epidemiology
  • vaccination
  • RNA prevalence
  • seroprevalence
  • coinfections

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3101 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Different Vascular Biomarkers for Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection
by Renáta Sütő, Marianna Pócsi, Miklós Fagyas, Edit Kalina, Zsolt Fejes, Zoltán Szentkereszty, János Kappelmayer and Béla Nagy Jr.
Microorganisms 2024, 12(1), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010229 - 22 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 886
Abstract
Severe SARS-CoV-2 elicits a hyper-inflammatory response that results in intravascular inflammation with endothelial injury, which contributes to increased mortality in COVID-19. To predict the outcome of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, we analyzed the baseline level of different biomarkers of vascular disorders in COVID-19 subjects [...] Read more.
Severe SARS-CoV-2 elicits a hyper-inflammatory response that results in intravascular inflammation with endothelial injury, which contributes to increased mortality in COVID-19. To predict the outcome of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, we analyzed the baseline level of different biomarkers of vascular disorders in COVID-19 subjects upon intensive care unit (ICU) admission and prior to any vaccination. A total of 70 severe COVID-19 patients (37 survivors and 33 non-survivors) were included with 16 age- and sex-matched controls. Vascular dysfunction was monitored via soluble VCAM-1, E-selectin, ACE2 and Lp-PLA2, while abnormal platelet activation was evaluated by soluble P-selectin and CD40L in parallel. These results were correlated with routine laboratory parameters and disease outcomes. Among these parameters, VCAM-1 and ACE2 showed significantly higher serum levels in COVID-19 patients with early death vs. convalescent subjects. VCAM-1 was significantly correlated with the Horowitz index (r = 0.3115) and IL-6 (r = 0.4599), while ACE2 was related to E-selectin (r = 0.4143) and CD40L (r = 0.2948). Lp-PLA2 was altered in none of these COVID-19 subcohorts and showed no relationship with the other parameters. Finally, the pre-treatment level of VCAM-1 (≥1420 ng/mL) and ACE2 activity (≥45.2 μU/mL) predicted a larger risk for mortality (Log-Rank p = 0.0031 and p = 0.0117, respectively). Vascular dysfunction with endothelial cell activation is linked to lethal COVID-19, and highly elevated soluble VCAM-1 and ACE2 at admission to ICU may predict unfavorable outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Infections)
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13 pages, 1845 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of Two Automated SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Immunoassays following Two Doses of mRNA, Adenoviral Vector, and Inactivated Whole-Virus Vaccinations in COVID-19 Naïve Subjects
by Eszter Csoma, Ágnes Nagy Koroknai, Renáta Sütő, Erika Szakács Szilágyi, Marianna Pócsi, Attila Nagy, Klára Bíró, János Kappelmayer and Béla Nagy, Jr.
Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1187; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051187 - 30 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1440
Abstract
Background: Limited data are available on humoral responses determined by automated neutralization tests following the administration of the three different types of COVID-19 vaccinations. Thus, we here evaluated anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers via two different neutralization assays in comparison to total spike antibody [...] Read more.
Background: Limited data are available on humoral responses determined by automated neutralization tests following the administration of the three different types of COVID-19 vaccinations. Thus, we here evaluated anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers via two different neutralization assays in comparison to total spike antibody levels. Methods: Healthy participants (n = 150) were enrolled into three subgroups who were tested 41 (22–65) days after their second dose of mRNA (BNT162b2/mRNA-1273), adenoviral vector (ChAdOx1/Gam-COVID-Vac) and inactivated whole-virus (BBIBP-CorV) vaccines, with no history or serologic evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Neutralizing antibody (N-Ab) titers were analyzed on a Snibe Maglumi® 800 instrument and a Medcaptain Immu F6® Analyzer in parallel to anti-SARS-CoV-2 S total antibody (S-Ab) levels (Roche Elecsys® e602). Results: Subjects who were administered mRNA vaccines demonstrated significantly higher SARS-CoV-2 N-Ab and S-Ab levels compared to those who received adenoviral vector and inactivated whole-virus vaccinations (p < 0.0001). N-Ab titers determined by the two methods correlated with each other (r = 0.9608; p < 0.0001) and S-Ab levels (r = 0.9432 and r = 0.9324; p < 0.0001, respectively). Based on N-Ab values, a new optimal threshold of Roche S-Ab was calculated (166 BAU/mL) for discrimination of seropositivity showing an AUC value of 0.975 (p < 0.0001). Low post-vaccination N-Ab levels (median value of 0.25 μg/mL or 7.28 AU/mL) were measured in those participants (n = 8) who were infected by SARS-CoV-2 within 6 months after immunizations. Conclusion: Both SARS-CoV-2 N-Ab automated assays are effective to evaluate humoral responses after various COVID-19 vaccines Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Infections)
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12 pages, 277 KiB  
Article
A Pharmacoepidemiological Study of Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following the First Dose of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Europe
by Joana Tome, Logan T. Cowan and Isaac Chun-Hai Fung
Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1099; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051099 - 22 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1204
Abstract
This study assessed the myocarditis and pericarditis reporting rate of the first dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in Europe. Myocarditis and pericarditis data pertinent to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (1 January 2021–11 February 2022) from EudraVigilance database were combined with European Centre for Disease [...] Read more.
This study assessed the myocarditis and pericarditis reporting rate of the first dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in Europe. Myocarditis and pericarditis data pertinent to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (1 January 2021–11 February 2022) from EudraVigilance database were combined with European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)’s vaccination tracker data. The reporting rate was expressed as events (occurring within 28 days of the first dose) per 1 million individuals vaccinated. An observed-to-expected (OE) analysis quantified excess risk for myocarditis or pericarditis following the first mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. The reporting rate of myocarditis per 1 million individuals vaccinated was 17.27 (95% CI, 16.34–18.26) for CX-024414 and 8.44 (95% CI, 8.18–8.70) for TOZINAMERAN; and of pericarditis, 9.76 (95% CI, 9.06–10.51) for CX-024414 and 5.79 (95% CI, 5.56–6.01) for TOZINAMERAN. Both vaccines produced a myocarditis standardized morbidity ratio (SMR) > 1, with the CX-024414 vaccine having a greater SMR than TOZINAMERAN. Regarding TOZINAMERAN, SMR for pericarditis was >1 when considering the lowest background incidence, but <1 when considering the highest background incidence. Our results suggest an excess risk of myocarditis following the first dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, but the relationship between pericarditis and the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine remains unclear. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Infections)
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