Influenza virus may be transmitted among humans in three ways: by direct contact with infected individuals; by contact with contaminated objects (called fomites, such as toys, doorknobs); and by inhalation of virus-laden aerosols. The contribution of each mode to overall transmission of influenza is not known. But something that most of us touch on a …
Influenza virus is infectious for days on banknotes Read More »
Host: Vincent Racaniello On episode #57 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent visited Scotch Plains – Fanwood High School and talked about viruses with high school biology students. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV057.mp3″] Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #57 (68 MB .mp3, 94 minutes) Subscribe to TWiV in iTunes, by …
The suggestion that yearly immunization against influenza might make children more susceptible to serious disease during a pandemic has generated some controversy. Does this idea have merit? If you have read Being older is a good defense against 2009 H1N1 influenza, you are familiar with the concept of ‘heterosubtypic immunity’. After natural infection with influenza …
Is yearly influenza vaccination of children a bad idea? Read More »
The title of this post should not come as a surprise to readers of virology blog – it was shown in 1974 that zinc could interfere with replication of rhinoviruses (see “Zinc and the common cold“). I am referring to the result of my first experiment to study the mechanism of zinc inhibition – something …
Why is the incidence of infection with 2009 H1N1 influenza highest among 5-24 year olds, and lowest in those over 65 years of age? Were the oldsters previously infected with a related influenza virus, or is there another explanation? The sera of individuals born in the early part of the 20th century have antibodies that …
Being older is a good defense against 2009 H1N1 influenza virus Read More »
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and Cliff Mintz On episode #56 of the podcast ‘This Week in Virology”, Vincent, Dick, Alan, and Cliff answer questions from listeners on swine influenza origins, transmission, virulence, and vaccines, HIV and AIDS, and more. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV056.mp3″] Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV …
