COVID-19: Nasal-Spray Preventive / WHO on Minks / Neutralizing Antibody Test

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Check out some of the latest developments in COVID-19:

Nasal-spray preventive in ferrets: In a study posted on the preprint server bioRxiv, a nasal spray containing a lipopeptide that inhibits fusion of the virus to the host cell membrane prevented SARS-CoV-2 infection in exposed ferrets. For the study, six ferrets were preemptively treated with the nasal spray and then were divided across three cages, with two treated ferrets in each cage. Each cage also contained a SARS-CoV-2-infected ferret and two other ferrets that had received a placebo spray. After 24 hours, the ferrets were separated and treated again. By day 21, none of the lipopeptide-treated ferrets had seroconverted, but all of the placebo-treated ferrets had. One of the study authors, noting that the spray adheres to nasal and lung cells and works for about 24 hours, told the New York Times, "If it works this well in humans, you could sleep in a bed with someone infected or be with your infected kids and still be safe."

WHO on minks: The World Health Organization on Friday urged "all countries to enhance surveillance for COVID-19 at the animal-human interface where susceptible animal reservoirs are identified, including mink farms." The WHO noted that since June, Denmark has reported 214 human cases of COVID-19 with SARS-CoV-2 variants linked to farmed minks. Twelve of these cases, all reported in northern Denmark in September, had a unique variant with apparently decreased sensitivity to SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Five other countries have also reported SARS-CoV-2 in farmed minks: the U.S., Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.

Neutralizing antibody test: The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for the first serology test that detects SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. (Previously authorized SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests detect only binding antibodies.) In a news release, the agency noted that the effects of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in humans remain under study, and an agency official cautioned, "Patients should not interpret results as telling them they are immune, or have any level of immunity, from the virus."