Stefan Poehlmann

Lu Zhang reporting on the SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 at #EMVZ, St Raphael, France. Great job, Lu!

Great presentation by Nianzhen Chen on inhibition of MERS- CoV by soluble DPP4.
#EMVZ

Such a joy to present at the European Meeting on Viral Zoonoses (#EMVZ) in beautiful Saint-Raphaël 🇫🇷 — amazing science, lively discussions, and an unforgettable setting. Can’t wait for the next one!

But: it does matter for precautions - especially for vulnerable groups when weighing boosters and Long COVID risk.

👉 Does this mean full hospitals? No.
👉 Changes in clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, or preventive practice? No.

Some newer variants have relearned how to efficiently enter lung cells. If this feature appears in the right genetic background, increased capacity to cause disease might be the consequence.

You mean accelerate viral spread in the population beyond that observed for previous variants/predicted by models? I cannot say at this point. Let’s see whether the existence of the recombinant virus can be confirmed.

Very interesting. This might boost cell entry and maintain antibody evasion - the combination that’s needed for high transmissibility.
#BA32

www.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I...

Been traveling with little internet & almost missed it: BA.3.2 shows high frequency in infections but low in wastewater. Start of a JN.1-like spread, or just the last blip of a fading variant?

#BA32

David Baltimore, Nobel-Winning Molecular Biologist, Dies at 87

David Baltimore, Nobel-Winning Molecular Biologist, Dies at 87 www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...

Ebola poses a serious global threat. We hope for swift containment and are committed to research for future prevention.

Furin activates viruses but blocking it specifically and potently is challenging. This study found a way 👀

Interesting, thanks

Many thanks. I will need some time to look at the data.
Just to clarify - are you suggesting that if fecal shedding of JN.1 were truly markedly enhanced, then observed case numbers should have been lower than predicted, but in fact they were not?

#SARSCoV2 #BA32

However, I am only aware of the study above and am looking forward to the thoughts of @solidevidence.bsky.social

Increased shedding of BA.2.86, JN.1 and potentially BA.3.2 would be in agreement with infection of intestinal tissue contributing to SARS-CoV-2 persistence in immunocompromised patients.

Increased faecal shedding in SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1 The SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1 swiftly became the global dominant strain1,2 due to a spike protein Leu455Ser substitution, boosting transmissibility and immune-escape capabilities, surpassing its predece...

🔗 Increased faecal shedding in SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1 – The Lancet Infectious Diseases
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

It is possible that BA.3.2 exhibits increased fecal shedding. This speculation is based on the manuscript 👇. The study indicates that fecal shedding of BA.2.86 and its derivative JN.1 is higher as compared to that of previous variants.

BA.3.2 is a saltation variant, previously detected in 🇿🇦 🇲🇿 🇳🇱 🇺🇸 and now 🇦🇺.
So far, it’s played only a peripheral role - if any.
That might change now, the next weeks will tell. It could have the potential to dominate the COVID endemic.
Thanks to @mikehoney.bsky.social for sharing the data.

The three BA.3.2.2 from Western Australia appear to form an independent branch, but that's only due to the very low quality of the sequences. After making a few manual fixes, I got them to show up on the correct branch, next to several of the most recent South African sequences.

Interesting, many thanks!!

Background and goals of EU research consortium VIGILANT

A preprint by Daniel et al. (10.1101/2025.01.22.634277) supports our findings: antibodies can be isolated from H5N1-naïve individuals that neutralize authentic H5N1 and protect against infection in an animal model.

We do see such antibodies—though low-level. Likely due to use of authentic virus vs. our highly sensitive surrogate system.

Two studies (Arroyave et al. 10.1093/ofid/ofaf463; Stevenson-Leggett et al. 10.3201/eid3106.241796) found no cross-neutralization of bovine H5N1 by antibodies from seasonal flu vaccinees.

Pseudovirus neutralization assay with post-vaccination human plasma samples = robust neutralization of humanH1N1pp, humanH3N2pp, BovineH5N1pp and sealH5N8pp. Confirmation w real virus req.
👉 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Apologies, should be EPI_ISL_20133307