Senthilkumar Natesan

The human immune system is not adequately equipped to eliminate new microbes and could result in serious damage on first exposure. This is primarily attributed to the exaggerated immune response (inflammatory disease), which may prove detrimental to the host, as evidenced by SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. From the experiences of Novel Coronavirus Disease‐19 to date, male patients are likely to suffer from high‐intensity inflammation and disease severity than the female population. Hormones are considered the significant pillars of sex differences responsible for the discrepancy in immune response exhibited by males and females. Females appear to be better equipped to counter invading respiratory viral pathogens, including the novel SARS‐CoV‐2, than males. It can be hypothesized that females are more shielded from disease severity, probably owing to the diverse action/influence of estrogen and other sex hormones on both cellular (thymus‐derived T lymphocytes) and humoral immunity (antibodies).

There is a need for a reliable and cost-effective molecular diagnostic assay for the diagnosis of TORCH [Toxoplasma gondii, Other (Varicella-Zoster virus and Parvovirus B19), Rubella virus, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes Simplex virus] infections. This would enable early and precise detection of pathogens even in a very low copy number. However, the selection of genomic target, specimen matrix, and different PCR methods can significantly affect the sensitivity and specificity of TORCH molecular detection. This review aimed to provide a comparative analysis of clinical sample types, target nucleotide sequences, and PCR detection approaches for molecular detection of TORCH organisms. This review will aid in the development of a sensitive molecular assay for quick and precise detection of TORCH organisms.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed unprecedented health and socioeconomic challenges on public health, disrupting it on a global scale. Given that women and children are widely considered the most vulnerable in the times of emergency, whether in war or during a pandemic, the current pandemic has also severely disrupted access to reproductive and child health services. Despite this, data on the effect of the pandemic on pregnant women and newborns remain scarce, and gender-disaggregated indicators of mortality and morbidity are not available. In this context, we suggest the implementation of a gendered approach to ensure the specific needs of women and their newborns are considered during the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Taking into account gender-based biological differences, the inclusion of pregnant and lactating mothers in clinical trials for the development of COVID-19 vaccines is of vital importance.

Coronavirus infection in humans is not uncommon. The first coronavirus (HCoV-229E) in humans was isolated in 1965. Subsequently, three more coronaviruses were recognized: HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-229E. These viruses are endemic in humans and cause common cold and mild respiratory infections throughout the year. The three coronaviruses, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 are highly pathogenic coronaviruses that cause very severe respiratory diseases in human. SARS-CoV-2 is a newly emerging coronavirus posing pandemic COVID-19 disease that has disrupted the human life in many ways. In this review, the origin, evolution, transmission, vaccine development, and clinical characteristics of these highly pathogenic human coronaviruses are compared and discussed to understand the common and different features of these viruses and their relevance to develop a successful vaccine to control the pandemic COVID-19.

Air travel is considered as the major route that facilitated the distribution of COVID-19 across international borders. Passengers with asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection can bypass the symptom-based surveillance systems established in the airports. Travel bubbles should be considered as an effective compromise in preventive strategies. Therefore, strict preventive measures have to be implemented at the entry and exit points in addition to the measures taken for preventing on-board transmission SARS-CoV-2.