Akademiliv

Sahlgrenska akademins nyheter

På Svenska
University of Gothenburg Logotype
  • News
  • Notices
  • Grants
  • About Akademiliv
Människor på tunnelbanan i Shanghai, efter utbrottet av det nya coronaviruset (foto: iStock).

Researchers say coronavirus requires high alert

4 February, 2020

Caption: Passengers on the Shanghai Metro after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (photo: iStock)

CURRENT ISSUE. Multiple Chinese cities, with tens of millions of inhabitants, are now in quarantine, and there are infected people in a growing number of countries.  The new coronavirus is causing great concern. But how dangerous is it, and how reliable is the information?

There is ample evidence that the novel virus, dubbed 2019-nCoV, was originally transmitted from animals to humans. A local market selling live wild animals for food (bushmeat) in Wuhan City, 700 km (approx. 430 miles) west of Shanghai, is said to have been the transmission site.

This is the third outbreak of a zoonotic coronavirus (one that spreads from animals to humans) in the past couple of decades. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was discovered in 2003, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) arrived in 2012. Tomas Bergström, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, does antiviral research focusing on respiratory tract viruses such as coronaviruses.

Tomas Bergström. Photo: Johan Wingborg.

“SARS had high contagion and mortality rates, while MERS was less contagious but strikingly often fatal in people with impaired lung function. My impression is that the new virus is less deadly than SARS, but we don’t yet know for sure,” Bergström says.

“Clearly, we have to give our full attention to this problem, and follow what happens. And if it turns into a major epidemic, I assure you there’ll be totally different rules and recommendations here in Sweden, too. But we’re not there yet.”

Monitoring and transparency

What is unmistakable, on the other hand, is that China’s way of tackling this outbreak is entirely different from its response to earlier coronavirus outbreaks. According to Bergström, the country has gone from covering up the SARS outbreak in 2003 to being transparent about the national spread of infection, and measures to combat it, this time.

“Chinese society is multifaceted, but in this area they’ve learned not to lie,” he says.

So the rest of the world is in the know?

“Yes; it’s just as if it had happened in the EU or U.S., which is great. Today, there’s a system in place — created by China with American support — for monitoring outbreaks. I’ve been in Beijing, visiting the people who work on this, and the Chinese have become proficient and open. As badly as they managed the previous outbreak, that’s how well they seem to be doing today.”

Commonplace viruses

In addition to these rare zoonotic coronaviruses, human coronaviruses are common viruses that that normally spread through human-to-human transmission. They cause symptoms resembling those of a cold or influenza, such as sore throat and coughing, and sometimes pneumonia. Treatment consists mainly in care to support the vital functions of such organs as the lungs and kidneys.

“There are four human coronaviruses that have long existed in humans. They circulate in society, bringing the common cold and sometimes pneumonia,. Diagnosing people infected with various coronaviruses isn’t a problem, but there still aren’t any vaccines, nor any antiviral drugs, available,” Bergström says.

More about the coronavirus: World Health Organization (WHO), https://www.who.int/ and Public Health Agency of Sweden, https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/

TEXT: MARGARETA GUSTAVSSON KUBISTA

 

By: Elin Lindström
Tagged With: institutionen för biomedicin

HAPPY SUMMER!

The newsletter from Akademiliv will return on Wednesday, August 21st.

Contact your institute to add your event to the calendar in the Staff Portal

  • Biomedicine: Kristian Kvint: kalender@biomedicine.gu.se
  • Core Facilities: Amelie Karlsson: amelie.karlsson.2@gu.se
  • Clinical Sciences: Katarina Olinder Eriksson: klinvet@gu.se
  • Medicine: Nina Raun; kommunikation@medicine.gu.se
  • Neuroscience and Physiology: Josefin Bergenholtz; kommunikation@neuro.gu.se
  • Odontology: Johan Thompson; info@odontologi.gu.se
  • Sahlgrenska Academy’s Office and faculty-wide calendar events Åsa Ekvall; info@sahlgrenska.gu.se
  • Health and Care Sciences: Karin Mossberg; vardvetenskap@fhs.gu.se

Information from Sahlgrenska Academy Research Support Office

[UPDATED JUNE 2024]
The Sahlgrenska Academy Research Support Office provides an overview of upcoming and current calls, nominations and events in an information letter. This letter is updated on a monthly basis.
Current and previous newsletters are also available in the Staff Portal.

’20 minutes for researchers’ is back – see full spring program

During 20 minutes over Zoom, the Biomedical Library gives tips on tools and services that can facilitate your research everyday life.

More news

En personlig död (A Personal Death) – a chance to win Björn Fagerberg’s new book

27 May, 2024

NEW BOOK. During his career as a physician specializing in internal medicine, Björn Fagerberg has been involved in many end-of-life situations, …  

She is doing her residency in the US with a medical degree from Gothenburg

21 May, 2024

STUDENT. Doing a “residency” in orthopedics in the United States is an unattainable dream for many newly qualified American doctors. Now Janina Ka …  

Alba Corell reports from a high-level brain tumor meeting

20 May, 2024

COLUMN. The recent gathering of the Scandinavian Society of Neuro-oncology (SNOG) in Gothenburg has concluded. Professor Asgeir Jakola hosted and …  

From South Africa to Sweden: Collaborative Research Efforts Improving Pregnant Women’s Health

17 May, 2024

GLOBAL HEALTH. In the bustling Tygerberg University Hospital in Cape Town, a dedicated research team led by Lina Bergman, is on a mission to …  

Sara Bjursten and Anna Wenger are the recipients of the Assar Gabrielsson Prize 2024

17 May, 2024

AWARD. The Assar Gabrielsson Foundation has named Anna Wenger as the winner in the basic science research category and Sara Bjursten as the …  

A full day for PhD students focused on mental health

16 May, 2024

PHD STUDENTS. For the sixth time, PhD students at Sahlgrenska Academy were invited to PhD Day, organized by the Doctoral Student Council. The day …  

Kaj Blennow ranked highest in Sweden in neuroscience

16 May, 2024

AWARD. In this year's edition of the researcher ranking from Research.com in the field of neuroscience, Kaj Blennow is ranked 17th …  

Linda Wass is doing a postdoc at Stanford with ALF funding

14 May, 2024

ALF FUNDING. Biomedical Scientist Linda Wass has just settled in Stanford, California, where she will spend two years as a postdoc. She is the …  

Karin Nilsson wrote the Thesis of the Year at Sahlgrenska Academy in 2023

14 May, 2024

AWARD. Karin Nilsson, currently a postdoc at the Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, receives the faculty-wide Thesis of the …  

Some answers from the proposed members of the next Faculty Board

14 May, 2024

FACULTY ELECTIONS. The eight proposed members of the next Faculty Board hereby give some brief answers on how they want to contribute to the work …  

More news...

Sahlgrenska Academy

© University of Gothenburg
PO-Box 100, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
Phone: 00 46 31 786 0000

About the website

Elin Lindström is editor for Akademiliv.
Please feel free to send your ideas and comments to akademiliv@gu.se

Sign up for the Akademiliv newsletter:

Send you tips to Akademiliv

Do you have a suggestion for news, grants, seminars or an education?
Send an email to Elin Lindström Claessen