Scientists are urgently trying to find the cause of the global outbreak of severe liver disease in young children. So far, adenovirus seems to be the best lead.
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Articles on Adenovirus
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While COVID-19 hasn’t been ruled out as a potential cause, the leading contender is actually adenovirus, a common infection in children that can lead to hepatitis on rare occasions.
There’s not enough evidence yet to support the AstraZeneca CEO’s statement. But it is theoretically plausible.
Viral vectors are modified viruses that trigger an immune response without causing infection. The vector that’s used in several COVID-19 vaccines was created decades ago by Canadian Frank Graham.
If one adenoviral vaccine is linked with blood clots, it doesn’t mean all vaccines in this family will have that same effect. But it’s definitely worth health authorities assessing the data.
AstraZeneca just announced results from its US-based trial. It found the vaccine to be 79% effective and safe for use, despite recent concerns around reports of blood clots.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is different from the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in a few important ways that could make it a huge help to global vaccination efforts.
Under pressure to develop a coronavirus vaccine, researchers have turned to protein synthesis, genetics and hybrid viruses. It is likely a mix of these approaches will be used to fight the coronavirus.
Getting rid of this scourge is nothing to be sneezed at.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology
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Professor of Immunology and Infection, Edinburgh Napier University
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Professor, Abell Chair in Synthetic Biology, Colorado State University
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Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University
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Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle
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Distinguished University Professor, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University
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Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Nottingham Trent University
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Lecturer in Biomedical Science, University of Hull
