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Special Issue "Emerging Viruses 2021: Surveillance, Prevention, Evolution and Control"
A special issue in Journal Viruses: "Emerging Viruses 2021: Surveillance, Prevention, Evolution and Control". Submit your manuscript here!
"TO scientists warn of continued prevention against the new wave of COVID-19"
The pandemic numbers of the new coronavirus in Brazil, in the last two weeks, indicate that the country is experiencing the beginning of a second wave. A Technical Note released on 11/22/20 by Brazilian scientists from higher education institutions in different States has revealed the reality. In this way, the Tocantins Government, through the Tocantins Research Support Foundation (Fapt), contacted state researchers to talk about the subject, and all were unanimous in reaffirming the importance of continuous prevention care and integrated protocols. According to the Adjunct Professor of the Bioprocess and Biotechnology Engineering Course at the Gurupi Campus of the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), and researcher of the Research for the SUS Program (PPSUS / TO), Fabricio Souza Campos, the emergency situation varies with each week, but the number of cases and deaths must be observed. “The second wave of COVID-19 is already there. People are tired and relaxing preventive measures (such as wearing masks, hand hygiene, avoiding crowds, etc.). The major problem with this virus is asymptomatic carriers, especially young people, who become infected and transmit the virus to elderly people or those with comorbidities. So the measure is to redouble the care with yourself and with the people around you, avoiding places with large numbers of people. Be responsible and have patience, as the expectation is that in six months the vaccine will be suitable for immunization ”, explained the scientist from Tocantins. Read the full text here (olny in portuguese)!.
"UFT participates in research to develop a COVID-19 rapid test"
A multidisciplinary team with researchers from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Federal University of Tocantins (UFT) and University of Louisville, US, is developing a method for SARS-CoV-2 rapid test using portable technology detection speed faster than the RT-qPCR. According to the project coordinator, professor at the Physics Institute at UFRGS, Marcelo Barbalho Pereira, the method has the potential to identify the presence of the virus more quickly than the techniques currently used. After the initial tests and proving the effectiveness of the testing, the research will proceed to the second stage, which will involve the development of a portable device that can be used in any location where rapid testing is required, such as hospitals, roads and airports , without the need for a specialized laboratory for this. Read the full text here (olny in portuguese)!.
Special Issue "Viral Infections in Developing Countries"
The Professor Fabrício Campos, from Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), Campus of Gurupi, was invited as one of the Guest Editor of a Special Issue called "Viral Infections in Developing Countries" of Viruses journal, of the MDPI group. The impact factor of Viruses was estimated at 3,816, and is one of the main journals in Virology. Details on this special edition, such as scope and instructions for authors, are available through this link.
Do you know everything you must do to avoid catching or transmitting the disease? Take this test and find out!
After a few months of living with the new coronavirus, we already know what are the main actions we can take to protect ourselves from COVID-19: respect physical distance, wear a mask in public and wash your hands well. But there are still many open questions about the transmission of the disease - in addition to some myths.
To clarify which behaviors protect our health and of other people, Viva a Longevidade consulted two experts on the subject: Daniel Mansur, professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina and member of the Scientific Committee of the Brazilian Society of Immunology, and Fabrício Souza Campos, professor at the Federal University of Tocantins and member of the board of the Brazilian Society of Virology.
And you, do you know what is myth or truth about prevention against the new coronavirus? Click on the link to answer the quiz, ready with the help of experts, and find out!
Quiz: what is a myth and what is true in preventing the new coronavirus?
September 14, 2020
The researcher and professor Dr. Fabrício Campos, from the Bioprocess Engineering area at Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), has a more conservative estimate of the number of virus species that can cause disease: "It is less than 1%".
"There is a tendency to study and dedicate more resources to those that cause economic damage to food production or that put our health at risk."
Thus, he continues, it is very easy to make a list of disease-causing viruses, from a rhinovirus that causes colds - we can have about 50 colds by rhinovirus throughout life - to the Ebola virus, considered one of the most lethal.
"But just in our genome (which has 3.2 billion base pairs) we have 8.3% of viral genes (about 265 million base pairs) as a result of infections that occurred thousands of years ago and that were transmitted to us by our ancestors", he explains.
'We are virus-like, at least in parts'
These viruses are called endogenous retroviruses and are part of human DNA.
"It is quite possible that this expressive percentage of viral genomes and their form of random insertion has shaped us and change the appearance of we have today," says Dr. Campos.
"So, we can say that all of us are virus-like, at least in parts. If we have 30 trillion cells in our body and another 100 trillion bacteria, and these cells and bacteria could potentially be infected with viruses, we are a lot of viruses.
Viruses to fight bacteria
We have different bacterial species in our organism, adds Dr. Campos, they are competing for space and food at all times.
"Every time a certain population of bacteria multiplies excessively, viruses takes action to control this excessive growth of bacteria, preventing infections and maintaining our health," he explains. "If it weren't for the viruses, it is very likely that we would all have constant diarrhea."
This comes from afar, benefiting life on Earth.
According to Dr. Campos, viruses are essential for life, from their function in the carbon cycle to the benefits they bring to human beings. They infect and destroy bacteria in aquatic microbial communities and are one of the most important mechanisms for recycling carbon and nutrients in marine environments.
In addition, these organisms limit the proliferation of algae in the oceans - marine biomass is composed of 70% of microorganisms.
"Viruses infect and kill 20% of this biomass daily, recycling macromolecules and supplying food to the base of the marine food chain, that is, phytoplankton", says Dr. Campos.
"They are also the main agents responsible for containing harmful algae, keeping these populations in balance." See more here.
September 13, 2020
Lectures mark the Biotechnologist day
To mark the day of the Biotechnologist, celebrated on Tuesday, June 30, the Biotechnology course at Unoesc Videira held two lectures, in which viruses were the protagonists.
Dr. Fabrício Souza Campos addressed important questions about new coronavirus, including infections caused by SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. He also spoke about possible treatments and the stage of progress of vaccines, providing space for answer questions from students, teachers and other participants in the meeting. View more.
“We live daily with viruses. We are in contact with these microorganisms constantly. They are the most abundant beings on earth", explained Fabrício.
According to the professor, the first case of coronavirus appeared in 2002/2003. This is SARS-CoV-1. The second, MERS-CoV, had the camel as an intermediate host and occurred in 2012. SARS-CoV-2 arrived in humans in 2019 by a series of mutations accumulated over time. "We have more than 2,500 different coronaviruses, which infect different species and mostly bats, but only now has the virus managed to reach humans in a more impactful way." View more.
According to the researcher, viruses are the most abundant beings on the planet. “We eat and breathe viruses at all times. In a gram of lettuce we have millions of viruses. But the viruses found in lettuce, like so many others, are not harmful to our health, unlike SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19 ”, he said.
Campos explained that the new coronavirus is an enveloped virus (they have external lipid protection, the viral envelope), for this more sensitive reason. “Therefore, the importance of always wash your hands and rub alcohol gel, are the ways to eliminate it." View more.
The Dentistry course at Unoesc São Miguel do Oeste recently promoted the live "Updates in SARS-CoV-2", with Professor Fabrício Souza Campos, a professor at the Federal University of Tocantins and a member of the Board of the Brazilian Society of Virology. The live talk was mediated by Unoesc professor, doctor Eliandra Mirlei Rossi. More than 200 academics, health professors and people from the community participated in the event. View more.
The report shows the search of scientists from all over the world for a cure for the new coronavirus. The virus left thousands dead and paralyzed the world economy. View more.
The study carried out by scientists from the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT) and the Federal University of Brasília (UnB) intends to characterize the virus samples present in Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, collected in Tocantins, so that new preventive and control measures can be taken to prevent the viral spread of diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, oropouche and zika virus. The scientific project is part of the Research for SUS Program (PPSUS) and has the support of the State Government through the Foundation for the Support of Research in Tocantins (Fapt). View More.
The Professor Fabrício Campos, from Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), Campus of Gurupi, was invited as one of the Guest Editor of a Special Issue called "Emerging Viruses 2020: Surveillance, Prevention, Evolution and Control" of Viruses journal, of the MDPI group. The impact factor of Viruses was estimated at 3,816, and is one of the main journals in Virology. Details on this special edition, such as scope and instructions for authors, are available through this link.
Viruses form a universe still little explored by humans. By definition, they are the only acellular organisms present on the planet today and, despite having a simple structure, they are little known by science. Thus, many researchers and scientists invest in research in this field. View more.