virology blog
About viruses and viral disease
By Gertrud U. Rey
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes microcephaly in newborns and is causally associated with Guillian-Barré syndrome in adults. To date, there are no drugs available to prevent or treat ZIKV infection. ZIKV vaccine research is challenging because adult immunocompetent mice are resistant to ZIKV infection and disease.
[Read more…] about A Mouse Model System for Zika Virus Infection
By Gertrud U. Rey
There is currently no vaccine to prevent infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2 (HSV-1 or HSV-2). Infection with either of these viruses results in life-long viral latency. Sporadic reactivation and viral shedding may lead to painful oral and genital disease and an increased risk of HIV transmission.
[Read more…] about A Live-Attenuated Herpes Simplex Virus Vaccine Candidate
By Gertrud U. Rey
Gertrud Rey is a trained virologist residing in Atlanta, Georgia. During the day, she works as a consultant in a biotech patent law firm, but spends much of her free time as a science communicator. She was a guest on TWiV 179 and 424.
The lack of a suitable animal model for human dengue virus infection and disease has presented considerable challenges for dengue virus vaccine research.
Chimpanzees, rhesus macaques, and the common marmoset, representing apes, Old World monkeys, and New World monkeys, respectively, have been used as model organisms to study dengue. However, although they are permissive for dengue virus infection, they do not develop overt disease. Having good animal models to understand the interaction between dengue virus and the host innate immune response is particularly important for vaccine development.