179
After the avian flu H5N1 of 2005–2006, highly lethal but unable to give human
to human contagion, new combinations of flu strains are expected and feared, with
high lethality and high human to human transmissibility.
11.1.4 New Virus Causing World Pandemic
Actually, concerning the world diffusion of new virus strains with pandemic potential, the world has been shaken by the recent coronavirus, also known as COVID-19,
which has spread to all countries in the world. A new protocol to investigate the
extent of COVID-19 infection in the population, as determined by positive antibody
tests in the general population, has been developed. The protocol is titled the
Population-based age-stratified seroepidemiological investigation protocol for
COVID-19 virus infection.
11.1.5 General Considerations
In summary, we can see that continuous worldwide biomedical surveillance caused
by perceived biotreats or actually new infective agents, is a primordial task that
needs to be maintained and improved. For this reason, it is imperative that the
worldwide appearance of new strains of viruses, like COVID-19, demands immediate and analytical precise isolation and characterization of the new viruses. This is
required in order to isolate as soon as possible the potentially pandemic new strains
and to prepare biological stocks suitable for massive vaccine preparations in due
time to prevent the global spreading of potentially lethal new viruses. Examples in
time recall the cases of the highly lethal pandemics known as “Spanish flu” in
1917–1918 (more than 40 million deaths worldwide), “Asian flu” in 1956 (over
100,000 deaths worldwide), “Hong Kong flu” in 1978 (in excess of 700,000 deaths
worldwide) and finally COVID-19 [9].
Recently, a novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, also known as the COVID-19 virus, has
shown to be highly contagious, pathogenic, and rapidly spreading. This novel
SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic COVID-19, which has severely affected
the health and economy of several countries. It was found that this novel COVID-19
virus can enter the host cell, by the specific binding resulting from the viral surface
spike glycoprotein (S-protein) to the converting angiotensin enzyme 2 (ACE2). This
specific virus molecular interaction with the host cell represents a promising therapeutic throughput virtual screening approach that was used to target for identifying
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) antiviral drugs.
To sum it up, the primary screening of any biological agents capable of causing
a world pandemic needs to be identified as soon as possible, in order to find the
promising drugs or immunotherapeutic agents.
11 Defense Against Biological Terrorism: Vaccines and Their Characterizations
After the avian flu H5N1 of 2005–2006, highly lethal but unable to give human
to human contagion, new combinations of flu strains are expected and feared, with
high lethality and high human to human transmissibility.
11.1.4 New Virus Causing World Pandemic
Actually, concerning the world diffusion of new virus strains with pandemic potential, the world has been shaken by the recent coronavirus, also known as COVID-19,
which has spread to all countries in the world. A new protocol to investigate the
extent of COVID-19 infection in the population, as determined by positive antibody
tests in the general population, has been developed. The protocol is titled the
Population-based age-stratified seroepidemiological investigation protocol for
COVID-19 virus infection.
11.1.5 General Considerations
In summary, we can see that continuous worldwide biomedical surveillance caused
by perceived biotreats or actually new infective agents, is a primordial task that
needs to be maintained and improved. For this reason, it is imperative that the
worldwide appearance of new strains of viruses, like COVID-19, demands immediate and analytical precise isolation and characterization of the new viruses. This is
required in order to isolate as soon as possible the potentially pandemic new strains
and to prepare biological stocks suitable for massive vaccine preparations in due
time to prevent the global spreading of potentially lethal new viruses. Examples in
time recall the cases of the highly lethal pandemics known as “Spanish flu” in
1917–1918 (more than 40 million deaths worldwide), “Asian flu” in 1956 (over
100,000 deaths worldwide), “Hong Kong flu” in 1978 (in excess of 700,000 deaths
worldwide) and finally COVID-19 [9].
Recently, a novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, also known as the COVID-19 virus, has
shown to be highly contagious, pathogenic, and rapidly spreading. This novel
SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic COVID-19, which has severely affected
the health and economy of several countries. It was found that this novel COVID-19
virus can enter the host cell, by the specific binding resulting from the viral surface
spike glycoprotein (S-protein) to the converting angiotensin enzyme 2 (ACE2). This
specific virus molecular interaction with the host cell represents a promising therapeutic throughput virtual screening approach that was used to target for identifying
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) antiviral drugs.
To sum it up, the primary screening of any biological agents capable of causing
a world pandemic needs to be identified as soon as possible, in order to find the
promising drugs or immunotherapeutic agents.
11 Defense Against Biological Terrorism: Vaccines and Their Characterizations