The impact of early anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody production on the length of hospitalization stay among COVID-19 patients.

IMPORTANCE: The study provides valuable insights into the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, and humoral immune response of those affected by the virus that has devastated every field of human life since 2019; the COVID-19 patients. Firstly, the association among clinical manifestations, comorbidities, and the production of neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) against SARS-CoV-2 is explored. Secondly, varying levels of Nabs among patients are revealed, and a significant correlation between the presence of Nabs and a shorter duration of hospitalization is identified, which highlights the potential role of Nabs in predicting clinical outcomes. Lastly, a follow-up conducted 7 months later demonstrates the progression and persistence of Nabs production in recovered unvaccinated individuals. The study contributes essential knowledge regarding the characteristics of the study population, the early humoral immune response, and the dynamics of Nabs production over time. These findings have significant implications for understanding the immune response to COVID-19 and informing clinical management approaches.

Genetic Characterization of a New HIV-1 Sub-Subtype A in Cabo Verde, Denominated A8.

Previous molecular characterization of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) samples from Cabo Verde pointed out a vast HIV-1 pol diversity, with several subtypes and recombinant forms, being 5.2% classified as AU-pol. Thus, the aim of the present study was to improve the characterization of these AU sequences. The genomic DNA of seven HIV-1 AU pol-infected individuals were submitted to four overlapping nested-PCR fragments aiming to compose the full-length HIV-1 genome. The final classification was based on phylogenetic trees that were generated using the maximum likelihood and bootscan analysis. The genetic distances were calculated using Mega 7.0 software. Complete genome amplification was possible for two samples, and partial genomes were obtained for the other five. These two samples grouped together with a high support value, in a separate branch from the other sub-subtypes A and CRF26_A5U. No recombination was verified at bootscan, leading to the classification of a new sub-subtype A. The intragroup genetic distance from the new sub-subtype A at a complete genome was 5.2%, and the intergroup genetic varied from 8.1% to 19.0% in the analyzed fragments. Our study describes a new HIV-1 sub-subtype A and highlights the importance of continued molecular surveillance studies, mainly in countries with high HIV molecular diversity.