Virology
A virus in a parasite in a human
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
The protozoan parasite Leishmania, transmitted to humans by the bite of a sandfly, may cause disfiguring skin lesions. A virus within the parasite appears to increase the risk of treatment failure with anti-leishmania drugs. A double-stranded RNA virus was found over 20 years ago to infect different species of Leishmania, with up to 50% of clinical isolates …
TWiV 354: The cat in the HAART
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
On episode #354 of the science show This Week in Virology, the esteemed doctors of TWiV review a new giant virus recovered from the Siberian permafrost, why influenza virus gain of function experiments are valuable, and feline immunodeficiency virus. You can find TWiV #354 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Why do we still use Sabin poliovirus vaccine?
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
The Sabin infectious, attenuated poliovirus vaccines are known to cause vaccine-associated paralysis in a small number of recipients. In contrast, the Salk inactivated vaccine does not cause poliomyelitis. Why are the Sabin vaccines still used globally? The answer to this question requires a brief visit to the history of poliovirus vaccines. The inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) developed by …
ASM Live at ICAAC/ICC 2015
By Vincent Racaniello | | Events
ASM Live will be broadcast from ICAAC/ICC 2015 in San Diego, CA, where host Michael Schmidt, PhD, Professor and Vice Chairman of Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina, and co-host of This Week in Microbiology, will interview researchers about their work. Streaming will take place at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 29B, and meeting registrants …
TWiV 353: STING and the antiviral police
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
On episode #353 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVniacs discuss twenty-eight years of poliovirus shedding by an immunodeficient patient, and packaging of the innate cytoplasmic signaling molecule cyclic GMP-AMP in virus particles. You can find TWiV #353 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Shedding poliovirus for 28 years
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
An immunodeficient individual has been excreting poliovirus in his stool for 28 years. Such chronic excreters pose a threat to the poliovirus eradication program. Since its inception in 1988 by the World Health Organization, the poliovirus eradication program has relied on the use of the infectious, attenuated vaccine strains produced by Albert Sabin. These viruses …
David Tuller
Trial By Error: Australian GP Group Recommends “Incremental Physical Activity” for “CFS/ME” Patients
By David Tuller, DrPH What’s going on with Aussie members of the graded exercise therapy cult? (Oops!—I meant the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, a trade and professional organization. Sorry!) In 2019, I wrote about the organization’s guidance for “CFS/ME.” This guidance, published in 2015, was part of the group’s Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions …
Trial By Error: Guardian Columnist George Monbiot Discusses His Scathing Rebuke of the Biopsychosocial Brigades–Text Version
By David Tuller, DrPH Last week, I spoke with George Monbiot, a British investigative reporter and political activist, who has been a columnist for The Guardian for almost 30 years. He and I have been in occasional communication in recent years over an issue of mutual interest—the scandalous mistreatment of patients suffering from the devastating illness (or cluster …
Trial By Error: Guardian Columnist George Monbiot Discusses His Scathing Critique of the “Biopsychosocial” Approach to ME/CFS and Long Covid
By David Tuller, DrPH Earlier today I spoke with George Monbiot, a British investigative reporter and political activist, who has been a columnist for The Guardian for almost 30 years. He and I have been in occasional communication in recent years over an issue of mutual interest—the scandalous mistreatment of patients suffering from the devastating …
Trial By Error: Senator Bernie Sanders’ $10 Billion Long Covid “Moonshot” Proposal
By David Tuller, DrPH On April 9th, Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who votes with the Democrats, unveiled an ambitious $10 billion “moonshot” proposal to fund research into Long Covid. The proposal has raised hopes among patients with the disease or cluster of diseases now being called ME/CFS—as well as concerns that …
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Trial By Error: An Interview with the Authors of the European ME Alliance Survey of 11,000+ Patients
By David Tuller, DrPH Earlier this month, the European Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Alliance (EMEA) released a 235-page report on a survey of ME/CFS patients in Europe titled “Same disease, different approaches and experiences.” The authors are Arild Angelsen, a board member of the Norwegian ME Association and a professor at the School of Economics and Business …
Trial By Error: REGAIN Team Responds to Criticism with Unconvincing Defenses of Methodological Missteps
By David Tuller, DrPH In recent weeks, I have been urging The BMJ to correct a flawed University of Warwick trial of an online mental and physical health rehab program for people with prolonged symptoms at least three months after hospitalization for Covid-19. The primary outcome was health-related quality of life, assessed with a measure …