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A Japanese supercomputer showed that humidity can have a large effect on the dispersion of virus particles, pointing to heightened coronavirus contagion risks in dry, indoor conditions during the winter months. The finding suggests that the use of humidifiers may help limit infections during times when window ventilation is not possible, according to a study released on Tuesday by research giant Riken and Kobe University. ... The study also indicated that clear face shields are not as effective as masks in preventing the spread of aerosols. Other findings showed that diners are more at risk from people to their side compared to across the table, and the number of singers in choruses should be limited and spaced out. (Swift, 10/14)

The first SARS-CoV-2 infections in US animals were confirmed in large cats at the Bronx Zoo in March during the height of the local COVID-19 outbreak. An American Society for Microbiology study today details the genomic characteristics of viruses that infected zookeepers, four tigers, and three African lions, supporting a human-to-animal transmission pathway. SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—has a suspected zoonotic origin, meaning it arose in animals. Genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 shows a close relationship with bat coronaviruses. Natural SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals have been reported in dogs, cats, and farmed mink, and in ferrets and fruit bats in the lab. (10/13)

The novel coronavirus has created an opportunity for businesses that purport to offer high-end products with enhanced protections against infection — from $250 face masks to $20,000 private jet flights and $200,000 home ventilation systems. Luxury car makers could be the next to capitalize. At a time when there’s more focus than ever on what people are breathing in — read: a deadly virus, wildfire smoke — well-heeled buyers could be enticed by cars with advanced air filtration systems and other devices designed to protect against a variety of dangerous particulates, including some pathogens. (Miller and Mitchell, 10/13)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said for months that people with pre-existing conditions are at a higher risk of severe illness from the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. However, a study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE reveals that certain pre-existing conditions can mean people who have them are up to three times more at risk of death resulting from COVID-19. (Willis, 10/13)

A study late last week found that convalescent plasma (CP) treatment did not significantly reduce mortality, but improved hospital discharge rates for patients 65 and older. The study in Clinical Infectious Diseases is one of the first to analyze clinical outcomes for closely matched cohorts of CP and control patients. In convalescent plasma treatment, plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from an infection is transfused into currently infected patients to provide passive immunity. CP treatment has a long history of application for other types of infections and is in clinical use to treat COVID-19 patients. Preliminary safety data for COVID-19 CP treatment is reassuring, but the efficacy is still unclear and remains the focus of multiple ongoing randomized controlled trials. (10/12)

Two separate studies late last week in Science Immunology document the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in COVID-19 patients at least 3 months after symptom onset. Both studies suggest that longer-lasting immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies may hold promise as a tool to evaluate viral immune response. One study also demonstrates a correlation between blood and saliva antibody levels, suggesting that saliva could serve as an easier-to-collect alternative to blood testing. (Kuebelbeck Paulsen, 10/12)  

Reports of reinfection with the coronavirus evoke a nightmarish future: Repeat bouts of illness, impotent vaccines, unrelenting lockdowns — a pandemic without an end. A case study published on Monday, about a 25-year-old man in Nevada, has stoked those fears anew. The man, who was not named, became sicker the second time that he was infected with the virus, a pattern the immune system is supposed to prevent. But these cases make the news precisely because they are rare, experts said: More than 38 million people worldwide have been infected with the coronavirus, and as of Monday, fewer than five of those cases have been confirmed by scientists to be reinfections. (Mandavilli, 10/13)