SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, wreaked havoc on the world; it could both spread easily and mutate rapidly, leading to the decrease in the effectiveness of newly developed vaccines over time. The detection of these mutated variants and the development of more efficient vaccines requires significant effort and increased knowledge in this field. This new book, SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Global Population Vulnerability: Diagnostic Strategies, Vaccine Development, and Therapeutic Management, provides detailed and systemic information regarding the biology and immunophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and highlights the global vulnerability of the world population to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. The book covers different aspects pertaining to the SARS-CoV-2 variants and their relation to global vulnerability. Chapters discuss the diagnostics, vaccine development, and therapeutic management starting from the zoonotic origin, organization, and transmission of SARS-CoV-2, lifestyle and immunophysiology of the virus, detection and diagnosis techniques, and analytical techniques. The book also observes the global impact of Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. It looks at the drug repurposing and new drug discovery routines for the emerging variants. It presents strategies for fast-track vaccine development, the roles of nasal vaccines and nucleic acid vaccines for COVID-19 management, monoclonal antibody therapy for the diseases management, along with the use of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, herbal drugs, and other alternative remedies for COVID-19 management. The book also considers the social and environmental impacts of SARS-CoV-2 variants and the current challenges, outlining aspects that can help in developing more efficacious means for controlling SARS-CoV-2 in the future. Key highlights: Discusses SARS-CoV-2 variants, diagnosis strategies, vaccine development, and the therapeutic management of the disease Provides comprehensive coverage of SARS-CoV-2 virus and variants With its unique and thorough take on the subject, this book is an important resource of know-how for investigators working in this area. Professionals from the pharmaceutical industry as well as students, research scholars, doctors, and other healthcare professionals will find this book of particular value.

While the study of viral evolution has developed rapidly in the last 30 years, little attention has been directed toward linking the mechanisms of viral evolution to the epidemiological outcomes of these processes. This book intends to fill this gap by considering the patterns and processes of viral evolution at all its spatial and temporal scales.

Coronaviruses were recognized as a group of enveloped, RNA viruses in 1968 and accepted by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses as a separate family, the Coronaviridae, in 1975. By 1978, it had become evident that the coronavirus genomic RNA was infectious (i. e. , positive strand), and by 1983, at least the framework of the coronavirus replication strategy had been per ceived. Subsequently, with the application of recombinant DNA techniques, there have been remarkable advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of coronaviruses, and a mass of structural data concerning coronavirus genomes, mRNAs, and pro teins now exists. More recently, attention has been focused on the role of essential and accessory gene products in the coronavirus replication cyde and a molecular analysis of the structure-function relation ships of coronavirus proteins. Nevertheless, there are still large gaps in our knowledge, for instance, in areas such as the genesis of coronavirus subgenomic mRNAs or the function of the coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The diseases caused by coronaviruses have been known for much longer than the agents themselves. Possibly the first coronavirus-related disease to be recorded was feline infectious peritonitis, as early as 1912. The diseases associ ated with infectious bronchitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and murine hepatitis virus were all well known before 1950.

This book provides a systematic treatment of the mathematical underpinnings of work in the theory of outbreak dynamics and their control, covering balanced perspectives between theory and practice including new material on contemporary topics in the field of infectious disease modelling. Specifically, it presents a unified mathematical framework linked to the distribution theory of non-negative random variables; the many examples used in the text, are introduced and discussed in light of theoretical perspectives. The book is organized into 9 chapters: The first motivates the presentation of the material on subsequent chapters; Chapter 2-3 provides a review of basic concepts of probability and statistical models for the distributions of continuous lifetime data and the distributions of random counts and counting processes, which are linked to phenomenological models. Chapters 4 focuses on dynamic behaviors of a disease outbreak during the initial phase while Chapters 5-6 broadly cover compartment models to investigate the consequences of epidemics as the outbreak moves beyond the initial phase. Chapter 7 provides a transition between mostly theoretical topics in earlier chapters and Chapters 8 and 9 where the focus is on the data generating processes and statistical issues of fitting models to data as well as specific mathematical epidemic modeling applications, respectively. This book is aimed at a wide audience ranging from graduate students to established scientists from quantitatively-oriented fields of epidemiology, mathematics and statistics. The numerous examples and illustrations make understanding of the mathematics of disease transmission and control accessible. Furthermore, the examples and exercises, make the book suitable for motivated students in applied mathematics, either through a lecture course, or through self-study. This text could be used in graduate schools or special summer schools covering research problems in mathematical biology.

Since the identification of the first cases of the coronavirus in December 2019, there has been a significant amount of confusion regarding the origin and spread of the so-called 'coronavirus', SARS-CoV-2, and the cause of the disease COVID-19. Conflicting messages from the media and officials across different countries and organizations, the abundance of disparate sources of information, unfounded conspiracy theories on the origins of the virus, unproven therapies, and inconsistent public health measures, have all served to increase anxiety in the population. Where did the virus come from? How is it transmitted? How does it cause disease? Is it like flu? What is a pandemic? In this concise and accessible introduction, a leading expert provides answers to these commonly asked questions. This revised and updated edition now also covers how the virus mutates, how important these mutations are, how vaccines work, and what we can expect in the near and long-term future.

Although debated since the time of Darwin, the evolutionary role of mutation is still controversial. In over 40 chapters from leading authorities in mutation and evolutionary biology, this book takes a new look at both the theoretical and experimental measurement and significance of new mutation. Deleterious, nearly neutral, beneficial, and polygenic mutations are considered in their effects on fitness, life history traits, and the composition of the gene pool. Mutation is a phenomenon that draws attention from many different disciplines. Thus, the extensive reviews of the literature will be valuable both to established researchers and to those just beginning to study this field. Through up-to-date reviews, the authors provide an insightful overview of each topic and then share their newest ideas and explore controversial aspects of mutation and the evolutionary process. From topics like gonadal mosaicism and mutation clusters to adaptive mutagenesis, mutation in cell organelles, and the level and distribution of DNA molecular changes, the foundation is set for continuing the debate about the role of mutation, fitness, and adaptability. It is a debate that will have profound consequences for our understanding of evolution.