The Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and the Role of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for Management of Infections
Mohamed Moubarak,
Keneth Iceland Kasozi,
Helal F. Hetta,
Hazem M. Shaheen,
Abdur Rauf,
Hayder M. Al-kuraishy,
Safaa Qusti,
Eida M. Alshammari,
Emmanuel Tiyo Ayikobua,
Fred Ssempijja,
Adam Moyosore Afodun,
Ritah Kenganzi,
Ibe Michael Usman,
Juma John Ochieng,
Lawrence Obado Osuwat,
Kevin Matama,
Ali I. Al-Gareeb,
Emmanuel Kairania,
Monica Musenero,
Susan Christina Welburn,
Gaber El-Saber Batiha
Affiliations
Mohamed Moubarak
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
Keneth Iceland Kasozi
Infection Medicine, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
Helal F. Hetta
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt
Hazem M. Shaheen
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
Abdur Rauf
Department of Chemistry, University of Swabi, Swabi 23561, Pakistan
Hayder M. Al-kuraishy
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriyia University, P.O. Box 14022 Baghdad, Iraq
Safaa Qusti
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Eida M. Alshammari
Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 2440, Saudi Arabia
Emmanuel Tiyo Ayikobua
School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti P.O. Box 211, Uganda
Fred Ssempijja
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
Adam Moyosore Afodun
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Busitema University, Tororo P.O. Box 236, Uganda
Ritah Kenganzi
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
Ibe Michael Usman
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
Juma John Ochieng
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
Lawrence Obado Osuwat
School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti P.O. Box 211, Uganda
Kevin Matama
School of Pharmacy, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Bushenyi P.O. Box 71, Uganda
Ali I. Al-Gareeb
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Medicine, College of Medicine Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad P.O. Box 14022, Iraq
Emmanuel Kairania
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Busitema University, Tororo P.O. Box 236, Uganda
Monica Musenero
Ministry of Science Technology and Innovations, Government of Uganda, Kampala P.O. Box 7466, Uganda
Susan Christina Welburn
Infection Medicine, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
Gaber El-Saber Batiha
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
Novel therapies for the treatment of COVID-19 are continuing to emerge as the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic progresses. PCR remains the standard benchmark for initial diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, while advances in immunological profiling are guiding clinical treatment. The SARS-Cov-2 virus has undergone multiple mutations since its emergence in 2019, resulting in changes in virulence that have impacted on disease severity globally. The emergence of more virulent variants of SARS-Cov-2 remains challenging for effective disease control during this pandemic. Major variants identified to date include B.1.1.7, B.1.351; P.1; B.1.617.2; B.1.427; P.2; P.3; B.1.525; and C.37. Globally, large unvaccinated populations increase the risk of more and more variants arising. With successive waves of COVID-19 emerging, strategies that mitigate against community transmission need to be implemented, including increased vaccination coverage. For treatment, convalescent plasma therapy, successfully deployed during recent Ebola outbreaks and for H1N1 influenza, can increase survival rates and improve host responses to viral challenge. Convalescent plasma is rich with cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, and IL-8), CCL2, and TNFα, neutralizing antibodies, and clotting factors essential for the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical trials can inform and guide treatment policy, leading to mainstream adoption of convalescent therapy. This review examines the limited number of clinical trials published, to date that have deployed this therapy and explores clinical trials in progress for the treatment of COVID-19.
