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Viruses
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Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology, 3rd Edition
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Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Coronaviruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 November 2025 | Viewed by 1450

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniele Focosi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
North-Western Tuscany Blood Bank, Pisa University Hospital, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: emerging viral infections; SARS-CoV-2; convalescent plasma; passive immunotherapies; vaccines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issues, titled “Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology” and “Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology 2.0”.

Much has been learnt about SARS-CoV-2 biology, but much also remains to be learned. Although it currently mostly drives pathology in immunocompromised patients, SARS-CoV-2 is still evolving at rates much higher than those of other human RNA viruses, with convergence with moving Spike targets while globally increasing its genetic and serological distance. The source of the pandemic has been redefined as a panzootic disease of placental mammals, leaving room for reverse zoonoses. The virus has also been shown to be able to compartmentalize and persist, even in immunocompetent hosts, potentially causing long-lasting symptoms for which directly acting antivirals are under investigation as treatment. Unfortunately, many emergency-use authorized drugs provide marginal benefits in vaccinated patients, and none of the anti-Spike monoclonal antibodies authorized so far are effective against emerging Omicron variants. Fundamental virology has discovered how SARS-CoV-2 carries miRNA-like molecules that are able to suppress the immune response and how the genome can integrate. In this Special Issue, we will collect articles discussing advances in epidemiology and fundamental virology, as well as novel therapeutics.

Dr. Daniele Focosi
Guest Editor

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. Viruses 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 2600 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
  • epidemiology
  • virology
  • therapeutics
  • zoonoses

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 3590 KiB  
Article
Mesocricetus auratus (Golden Syrian Hamster) Experimental Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reveals That Lung Injury Is Associated with Phenotypic Differences Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants
by Daniela del Rosario Flores Rodrigues, Alexandre dos Santos da Silva, Arthur Daniel Rocha Alves, Bárbara Araujo Rossi, Richard de Almeida Lima, Sarah Beatriz Salvador Castro Faria, Oswaldo Gonçalves Cruz, Rodrigo Muller, Julio Scharfstein, Amanda Roberta Revoredo Vicentino, Aline da Rocha Matos, João Paulo Rodrigues dos Santos, Pedro Paulo Abreu Manso, Milla Bezerra Paiva, Debora Ferreira Barreto-Vieira, Gabriela Cardoso Caldas, Marcelo Pelajo Machado and Marcelo Alves Pinto
Viruses 2025, 17(8), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081048 - 28 Jul 2025
Viewed by 514
Abstract
Despite the current level of public immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the early inflammatory events associated with respiratory distress in COVID-19 patients are not fully elucidated. Syrian golden hamsters, facultative hibernators, recapitulate the phenotype of SARS-CoV-2-induced severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—induced severe acute [...] Read more.
Despite the current level of public immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the early inflammatory events associated with respiratory distress in COVID-19 patients are not fully elucidated. Syrian golden hamsters, facultative hibernators, recapitulate the phenotype of SARS-CoV-2-induced severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—induced severe acute lung injury seen in patients. In this study, we describe the predominance of the innate immune response in hamsters inoculated with four different SARS-CoV-2 variants, underscoring phenotypic differences among them. Severe inflammatory lung injury was chronologically associated with acute and significant weight loss, mainly in animals inoculated with A.2 and Delta variants. Omicron-infected animals had lower overall histopathology scores compared to other variants. We highlight the central role of endothelial injury and activation in the pathogenesis of experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters, characterised by the presence of proliferative type I and type II pneumocytes with abundant surfactant expression, thereby maintaining hyperinflated alveolar fields. Additionally, there was evidence of intrapulmonary lymphatic vessel proliferation, which was accompanied by a lack of detectable microthrombosis in the lung parenchyma. However, white microthrombi were observed in lymphatic vessels. Our findings suggest that the physiological compensatory mechanisms that maintain respiratory homeostasis in Golden Syrian hamsters prevent severe respiratory distress and death after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology, 3rd Edition)
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17 pages, 1274 KiB  
Article
The Role of Comorbidities in COVID-19 Severity
by Sandra König, Ugne Vaskyte, Maria Boesing, Giorgia Lüthi-Corridori and Joerg Daniel Leuppi
Viruses 2025, 17(7), 957; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17070957 - 7 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Background: COVID-19 has led to significant global morbidity and mortality, with clinical outcomes varying widely among individuals. Understanding the impact of comorbidities on COVID-19 outcomes is essential for improving patient management. To date, analyses of comorbidities affecting COVID-19 severity in a heterogeneous Swiss [...] Read more.
Background: COVID-19 has led to significant global morbidity and mortality, with clinical outcomes varying widely among individuals. Understanding the impact of comorbidities on COVID-19 outcomes is essential for improving patient management. To date, analyses of comorbidities affecting COVID-19 severity in a heterogeneous Swiss cohort across multiple outbreak waves are unavailable. The objective of this study was to explore the role of comorbidities on COVID-19 severity in hospitalized patients from a diverse Swiss cohort and to evaluate the association between comorbidities and specific in-hospital complications. Methods: This retrospective, observational, single-center study included adult patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 for at least one night at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland, Switzerland (KSBL), between March 2020 and December 2021. Logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and gender were performed to analyze the association between comorbidities and critical condition (defined as severe disease or in-hospital death) and complications. Results: A total of 1124 patients were included in the study (median age 66, range 19–100 years, 60% male). A total of 76% of patients had at least one comorbidity. The most common comorbidities were arterial hypertension (47%), obesity (27%), and diabetes mellitus (24%). Overall, 16% of patients experienced a critical condition, and 25.5% had any type of complication. Patients without comorbidities had the lowest rates of critical condition (5.3%) and complications (10.2%). Obesity (OR 2.01, p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.67, p = 0.004), arterial hypertension (OR 1.65, p = 0.006), arrhythmia (OR1.87, p = 0.003), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 2.72, p < 0.001) were found to be associated with critical condition. The most frequently observed complication was acute kidney failure, affecting 17.1% of the study population, while patients with arrhythmia showed the highest overall complication rate (42%). Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with previous research, confirming the relevance of specific comorbidities as key risk factors for critical COVID-19 outcomes. Among all comorbid conditions evaluated, asthma appeared to have the least impact on disease severity. Future research should focus on the impact of the combination of comorbidities on the disease severity of COVID-19, as well as the long-term effects of COVID-19 for patients with certain comorbidities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Concepts in SARS-CoV-2 Biology and Pathology, 3rd Edition)
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