COVID-19

COVID-19 Roundup: Immune Pathway, Blood Test

 

Immune System Pathway

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine have identified a potential strategy for reducing the inflammatory reactions in patients with COVID-19.

The method involves inhibiting the protein factor D, which enables SARS-CoV-2 to cause the immune system to attack healthy cells.

“When we added a small molecule that inhibits the function of factor D, the alternative pathway of complement (APC) wasn’t activated by the virus spike proteins. We believe that when the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins bind to heparan sulfate, it triggers an increase in the complement-mediated killing of normal cells because factor H, a key regulator of the APC, can’t do its job.”

Blood Test for Predicting Severity

Researchers have developed a prognostic score for COVID-19 based on blood samples taken for the first 4 days of infection. The test, which measures levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10, can be used to predict how severe COVID-19 will be on day 7 of infection.

Specifically, each 1-point increase in the Dublin-Boston score is associated with a 5.6 times increased risk of severity.

“The Dublin-Boston score is easily calculated and can be applied to a spectrum of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. More informed prognosis could help determine when to escalate care, institute or remove mechanical ventilation, or drive considerations for therapies,” they concluded.

COVID-19 Updates from CDC

As of October 16, 2020, the CDC has received reports of a total of 61,120,152 specimens tested for SARS-CoV-2, and the percent of specimens testing positive rose from 5.3% during week 40 to 5.4% during week 41.

The percentage of deaths due to pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19 has declined steadily since early September, while other indicators of activity, including specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, percentages of visits to the ED for influenza-like illness, and COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates have either increased or remained stable.

In all 10 HHS regions, at least one indicator of COVID-19 activity has increased since the previous week. For the week ending in October 10, 2020, the overall cumulative COVID-19-associated hospitalization rate was 188.2 per 100,000 population. Additionally, the age-adjusted hospitalization rate for Hispanic and Latino individuals was found to be approximately 4.5 times higher than White individuals, while rates among Black individuals and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals were approximately 4.4 times that of White individuals.

—Michael Potts

References:

  1. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Blocking immune system pathway may stop COVID-19 infection, prevent severe organ damage. News release. Johns Hopkins Medicine. October 8, 2020. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/blocking-immune-system-pathway-may-stop-covid-19-infection-prevent-severe-organ-damage
  2. McElvaney OJ, Hobbs BD, Qiao D, et al. A linear prognostic score based on the ratio of interleukin-6 to interleukin-10 predicts outcomes in COVID-19. Published online October 8, 2020. EBio Med. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.103026
  3. COVIDView: a weekly surveillance summary of US COVID-19 Activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html.