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The TWiV Council explores the finding that facial appearance affects science communication, and evidence that RNA interference confers antiviral immunity in mammalian cells.
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Full show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
On episode #328 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVocateurs discuss how the RNA polymerase of enteroviruses binds a component of the splicing machinery and inhibits mRNA processing.
You can find TWiV #328 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
On episode #191 of the science show This Week in Virology, Nissin joins the TWiV crew to discuss an outbreak of lethal disease among Cambodian children, and recombination among attenuated herpesvirus vaccines leading to pathogenic viruses.
You can find TWiV #191 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
There is an ongoing outbreak of enterovirus 71 (EV71) in a broad region of Asia, including China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Singapore. There have been 3606 cases in China, including 36 deaths.
Infection with EV71 is common in Asia, where it causes hand-foot-and-mouth disease in children, a febrile syndrome accompanied by flat or raised red spots in the tongue, gums, inside of cheeks, palms, soles of feet, and buttocks. Neurological complications of EV71 infection include aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, and poliomyelitis-like polyneuritis. The high fatality rate of the current outbreak is unusual, but not unprecedented. A study of the Taiwan epidemic of 1998 revealed an unusual neurologic manifestation, brainstem encephalitis, which was also observed in Malaysia in 1997 but not in earlier epidemics. The changes in EV71 disease might be a consequence of the emergence of a more virulent viral strain.
EV 71 is a member of the family Picornaviridae, which also contains the well-known pathogen poliovirus. The virus was first isolated in 1969 from a case of fatal human encephalitis in California. EV71 is distributed worldwide and is spread by fecal-oral and possibly by respiratory droplet transmission.
In some locations EV71 is emerging as the most significant neurotropic enterovirus. It has been suggested that the incidence of EV71 might increase after the eradication of poliovirus, in which case there will be increased efforts to develop vaccines and antivirals against this agent.