The SARS pandemic of 2002-2003 is believed to have been caused by a bat coronavirus (CoV) that first infected a civet and then was passed on to humans. The isolation of a new SARS-like coronavirus from bats suggests that the virus could have directly infected humans. A single colony of horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) in Kunming, Yunnan …
Bat SARS-like coronavirus that infects human cells Read More »
Neisseria meningitidis may cause septicemia (bacteria in the blood) and meningitis (infection of the membrane surrounding the brain), but the bacterium colonizes the nasopharynx in 10-20% of the human population without causing disease. Although understanding how the bacterium changes from a commensal to a pathogen has been elusive, an important property is believed to be the ability …
Virus-induced fever might change bacteria from commensal to pathogen Read More »
On episode #256 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, Rich, and Kathy review two papers that present evidence for RNA interference as an antiviral immunity mechanism in mammals. You can find TWiV #256 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
As a virologist who has worked on poliovirus since 1979, I would be remiss if I did not note that today, 24 October, is World Polio Day. World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against …
I interviewed Harald zur Hausen, MD., recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, in Manchester UK at the 2013 meeting of the Society for General Microbiology. We spoke about his career, his work leading to the discovery that human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 are causative agents of cervical cancer, and his …
On episode #255 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent and Rich visit the University of Texas at Austin and meet up with Bob and Chris to talk about their work on influenza virus and microRNAs. You can find TWiV #255 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
