COVID-19 under spotlight: A close look at the origin, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of the 2019-nCoV disease

Months after the outbreak of a new flu-like disease in China, the entire world is now in a state of caution. The subsequent less-anticipated propagation of the novel coronavirus disease, formally known as COVID-19, not only made it to headlines by an overwhelmingly high transmission rate and fatality reports, but also raised an alarm for the medical community all around the globe. Since the causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, is a recently discovered species, there is no specific medicine for downright treatment of the infection. This has led to an unprecedented societal fear of the newly born disease, adding a psychological aspect to the physical manifestation of the virus. Herein, the COVID-19 structure, epidemiology, pathogenesis, etiology, diagnosis, and therapy have been reviewed. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Application of Nanobiotechnology for Early Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: A most discussed topic of the new decade, COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the recently discovered SARS-CoV-2. With an exceedingly high transmission rate, COVID-19 has affected almost all the countries in the world. Absent any vaccine or specific treatment, the humanity is left with nothing but the legacy method of quarantine. However, quarantine can only be effective when combined with early diagnosis of suspected cases. With their high sensitivity and unmatched specificity, biosensors have become an area of interest for development of novel diagnostic methods. Compared to the more traditional diagnostics, nanobiotechnology introduces biosensors as different diagnostics with greater versatility in application. Today, a growing number of analytes are being accurately identified by these nanoscopic sensing machines. Several reports of validated application with real samples further strengthen this idea. As of recent, there has been a rise in the number of studies on portable biosensors. Despite the slow progression, certain devices with embedded biosensors have managed to be of diagnostic value in several countries. The perceptible increase in development of mobile platforms has revolutionized the healthcare delivery system in the new millennium. The present article reviews the most recent advancements in development of diagnostic nanobiosensors and their application in the clinical fields. Key points: � There is no specific treatment for highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2. � Early diagnosis is critical for control of pandemic. � Highly sensitive/specific nanobiosensors are emerging assets against COVID-19. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses: Strategies to cope with coinfection and bioinformatics perspective

Almost a century after the devastating pandemic of the Spanish flu, humankind is facing the relatively comparable global outbreak of COVID-19. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 with an unprecedented transmission pattern. In the face of the recent repercussions of COVID-19, many have argued that the clinical experience with influenza through the last century may have tremendous implications in the containment of this newly emerged viral disease. During the last 2 years, from the emergence of COVID-19, tremendous advances have been made in diagnosing and treating coinfections. Several approved vaccines are available now for the primary prevention of COVID-19 and specific treatments exist to alleviate symptoms. The present review article aims to discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus coinfection while delivering a bioinformatics-based insight into this subject matter. © 2022 International Federation for Cell Biology