Recovering viral genomes from ancient specimens can provide information about viral evolution, but not many old nucleic acids have been identified. A study of 700 year old caribou feces reveals that viruses can be protected for long periods of time – under the right conditions. The oldest virus recovered so far is the giant Pithovirus sibericum, …
On episode #314 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent travels to Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he speaks with Kartik, Ganjam, and Margaret about their work on Ebolavirus entry, a tumor suppressor that binds the HIV-1 integrase, and the entry of togaviruses and flaviviruses into cells. You can find TWiV #314 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
On episode #313 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich discuss how norovirus, an enteric virus, can replace the functions of the gut microbiome. You can find TWiV #313 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
ZMapp, a mixture of three antibodies against Ebola virus, became a household name after it was used to treat two Americans who were infected while working in Liberia. The structure of these antibodies bound to the Ebola virus glycoprotein suggest how they inhibit infection and ways to improve ZMapp. The three monoclonal antibodies that comprise ZMapp (called c13C6, c2G4, and c4G7) were …
On episode #312 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiVbolans discuss the finding that human noroviruses, major causes of gastroenteritis, can for the first time be propagated in B cell cultures, with the help of enteric bacteria. You can find TWiV #312 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Sea stars are lovely marine invertebrates with a round central body connected to multiple radiating legs (photo credit). In the past year millions of sea stars in the west coast waters of North America have melted into piles of slime and ossicles. Sea star associated densovirus might be the cause of this lethal disease. Sea star wasting disease (SSWD) …
