by Gertrud U. Rey Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were infected with two different viruses at the same time? A recent study aimed at addressing this question has produced some astounding new findings. The authors of the study wanted to observe the interactions between respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A …
Lynda Coughlan joins the weekly virtual bus companions for a discussion of a host defense peptide from frogs that destroys influenza virus, and mouse models for acute and chronic hepacivirus infection. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 452 (68 MB .mp3, 113 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
The hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) glycoproteins of the influenza virus particle serve distinct functions during infection. The HA binds sialic acid-containing cellular receptors and mediates fusion of the viral and cell membranes, while the NA removes sialic acids from glycoproteins. Apparently this division of labor is not absolute: influenza viruses have been identified with …
Changing influenza virus neuraminidase into a receptor binding protein Read More »
On epside #236 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan and Kathy review novel approaches to preventing influenza virus infection. You can find TWiV #236 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Fourteen people in China have been infected with avian influenza H7N9 virus, leading to five deaths. This avian influenza virus has never been isolated from humans. Influenza A viruses with the H7 hemagglutinin protein circulate among birds, and some, such as H7N2, H7N3, and H7N7, have been previously found to infect humans. It is not known …
First human infections with avian influenza H7N9 virus Read More »
On episode #173 of the podcast This Week in Virology, the TWiVites discuss seroevidence for human infection with avian influenza H5N1, and the discovery of a new influenza virus in Guatemalan bats. You can find TWiV #173 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
